The Unwritten Fairytale
by Maresia Eterna
Summary: COMPLETE When she had just started to let all of her memories and feelings go, the horn of the old times was heard once again. Caspian x Susan.
1. Dream of a Dream

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. I simply decided to twist this fantastic world by adding some of my characters in order to create my own plot. Therefore, aside from my characters and the plot, I own nothing.

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_**Title:**_ The Unwritten Fairytale

**Rating:** T

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Romance, Family, Friendship

**Warnings:** Language

**Important**** Warning:** I have yet to watch _Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian._ I have to wait until July to finally be able to see the movie, so the beginning of this story was written having in mind all of the fics I have read so far about CaspianxSusan pairing. _However, this is based on the __**second**__ movie, __not__ the books_. I have just begun reading the books, and so far I have to admit that Susan appears to be completely different in the movies. However, I am open to suggestions, so if you have anything to point out, please do.

**Warning: **This is the _sequel_ of _**Dream of a Dream**_. Feel free to check it out if you want to. Also, _the time between Narnia and the real world is wrong_, and for that I apologize.

_**Pairing**__**s:**_ SusanxCaspian and most likely another one

**Summary:** When she had just started to let all of her memories and feelings go, the horn of the old times was heard once again. SusanxCaspian

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_**English**_ is my _**second**_ language, and I do not have a beta-reader, so please, excuse the mistakes you are going to find in here. I did my best to spot them, but I never manage to correct all of them.

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**The Unwritten Fairytale**

"_You keep it. You might need__ it to call me again."_ Susan Pevensie, when Prince Caspian hands her back her horn in **Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian**.

"_Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained"_ C.S. Lewis

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_Prologue_

* * *

To say that it was a perfect day it was an understatement.

The effervescent blue sky was free of any cloud, the sun shinning intensely from its throne, on top of the heavens. The light wind that was occasionally blown from north was refreshing and most welcomed. Even the trees appeared to have gained life for their branches seemed to be waltzing in perfect harmony with the serenity of that summer afternoon.

A warm laughter and childish giggles would often erupt from a vast and dazzling garden, breaking the stillness of nature. Behind the private grounds, which was filled with the most exquisite and magnificent flowers, stood a prominent castle.

And it was close to one of the many windows of that same castle that one motionless form stood, watching as two figures run around through the garden. Suddenly yet gently as a caress, another fresh breeze entered through the window, combing long brown tresses and kissing the pale complexion of the woman that continued staring outside.

What she was observing was a scene that could not be witnessed very often. That was a moment when the King would transform into a scary dragon while the young prince would become a fearless knight. Of course that at the end all pretending would be forgotten and the King would allow himself to return to his youth, and simply have some fun with his first born.

A small laugh abandoned the woman's lips as she watched her husband tickling their son, causing the child to let out a loud shriek in surprise that was close followed by a childish laughter. A wide smile was also gracing her husband's handsome face, which resulted in her heart swelling in both happiness and pride.

However, it was then that the almost six year old prince suddenly took off towards the trees, most likely to hide behind a trunk. Even from afar, the woman noticed how her husband took the opportunity to glance at the four statues located in the middle of the garden, his smile slowly vanishing as he did so.

She knew that the King would take every opportunity he had to reminisce about memories and ancient feelings. She was also aware of how he usually carried around an object related to Narnia's Golden Age on his hip, and of how tenderly he took care of it.

A small hiss left the woman's lips when an unexpected kick forced her to leave her reverie. Instinctively, she started rubbing her swollen stomach before gazing down at it, a mask of pain on her face.

"Hush my child…" she whispered still massaging her stomach, but a new wave of pain quickly run through her body, causing her to hold her breath on her throat.

This time, it took her a few long seconds to regain her breath, but when she did, the woman rested both her hands on the window's frame, and stared at the spot where she had last seen her husband. Not surprisingly, he had not moved an inch, but instead of being examining the statues, he was gazing directly at her.

That had always been something none of the two of them had been able to comprehend; he did not love her, and yet through the years they had grown extremely close. Their connection was now so strong to the point that he knew whenever she was in trouble or not.

Despite of her condition, the woman managed to smile weakly at her husband at same time she raised a hand to wave at him. However, another wave of pain, so strong and raw, forced her smile to disappear immediately, and she bit her lower lip in a failed attempt to keep a moan of pain to herself.

"Mama?"

At the childish voice, the woman looked to her side, her face still revealing all the pain she was feeling, and she took a deep breath when her eyes meet a pair of brown ones. Despite of the ache that was rapidly conquering her body, the woman forced her lips to curl upwards.

"What is it, sweetie?" she managed to ask, her voice coming out rather tightly, and the four year old girl, dressed in a pale lavender dress pressed a book against her chest, a timid expression on her face. "Where is your nanny?"

"I run away from her." the little girl whispered, her eyes now locked with the floor as she confessed what she had just done. "I'm sorry mama…"

"It's already sweetie, why don't we go…" the woman trailed off, and hissed when a new wave of pain run through her body, but this time she was unable not to close both her hands into tight fists. As pain continued to consume her flesh, the woman looked down at her daughter, "Honey, I need you to go call mama's maids, alright? Tell them it's urgent."

"Mama, what's wrong?" the little girl asked as she watched her mother pressing her back against the wall, a hand grasping her swollen stomach.

"Nothing sweetie, I just need…" there was a small pause, and the woman took a long deep breath as she pressed the back of her head against the wall as well, "Just be a big girl, and go call for mama's maids, okay? And tell papa that I need to see him."

For a moment the little girl just stood on the same spot until she finally nodded, and twirled around before rushing down the hall. The woman, on the other hand, watched as her daughter turned around on a corner, disappearing from sight, her footsteps fading away as she continued running. Then, the woman closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

'_Please Aslan; give me the strength I need.'_

* * *

"Where on earth _are_ they?"

At the sudden voice, Lucy Pevensie tore her eyes away from the book she was holding, and stared at the figure that was comfortably sitting on an armchair. He looked absolutely furious with the deep frown practically incrusted on his skin, his arms crossed against his chest. However, it was not as if she could blame him.

Ever since they had returned from Narnia that things had changed dramatically, and the youngest Pevensie siblings simply did not know what they could do. Both of them could still remember quite well how, on the day after their return, Susan had started to scold them every time they spoke of Narnia, Aslan or even Caspian. Their oldest sister had also suddenly developed a strange obsession for gossip and silly luxuries, and that was absolutely horrifying to watch because everyone at the Pevensies' house knew how much Susan abhorred superficial things.

And then there was Peter, who had suddenly decided that he would never allow people look down on him. Both Edmund and Lucy were aware that their oldest brother's behaviour had something to do with the fact that in Narnia he was High King Peter, the Magnificent, and that therefore he had to bow to no one. However, on contrary of Susan, who appeared to be slipping away as minutes rolled by, Peter was always around whenever his siblings needed help or simply someone to talk to.

"And to think they're supposed to give us the example." Edmund snorted as he stared at some random spot on his side, and Lucy quietly gazed down at the book she had been trying to read for the past half an hour.

Their mother was currently visiting a neighbour, who had just given birth. Even though she had promised to return soon, truth was that she had been out for almost six hours. The siblings did not blame her, though; they knew how much their mother needed to escape from their house once-in-a-while.

"Maybe we shouldn't have let Peter go all by himself…" Lucy finally decided to whisper, and she slowly raised her eyes to gaze at her brother, who looked back at her. "I mean, we have no idea where Susan is…"

"He's the one who didn't let us go." Edmund mumbled as he looked away again, but Lucy simply sighed at his reply before running a hand through the cover of her book, "He's always trying to do everything by himself…"

"Well, he _is_ the oldest." Lucy pointed out, though she knew that was not enough to excuse Peter's conduct. In fact, she was aware that Edmund was behaving the way he was because he was worried about his siblings. However since he was indeed Edmund, Lucy knew he preferred to look irritated to actually expose his concern.

Suddenly, the sound of the front door being opened was heard, but before Edmund or Lucy could even stand up from their seats, Peter Pevensie emerged by the door of the living-room. He looked both annoyed and exhausted, his right hand closed into a tight fist as his arms rested on his sides. For a moment, the three siblings just stared at each others, not really feeling any need to speak since it was obvious that Peter had failed to find Susan.

"So, you either found her, and she refused to come, or you didn't find her." Edmund declared, and Lucy saw that Peter was doing the best he could to control himself in order not to snap. She knew that Edmund was pushing his luck, but Lucy was also conscious that Peter would not say anything unnecessary.

"What are you two doing here?" Peter finally asked as he walked inside the living room, and approached the vacant armchair, "You should be in bed. I told you not to wait up for me or Susan for that matter."

"Well, you're no King here, so don't go ordering us around." Edmund answered before resting his chin on his hand, and Lucy immediately gazed at Peter, ready to see him snap, but the older sibling simply sighed in reply.

"We cannot help but be worried about Susan." Lucy finally confessed as she sat on the sofa, still pressing the book against her chest, and Peter glanced at her before resting his elbows on his knees. "We couldn't go sleep not knowing if she was back or not."

"Well, apparently she's not going to return any time soon." Peter answered somewhat bitterly, and silence fell on the living-room as the three siblings started thinking about their missing sister.

"It's her problem if she decided to become selfish all of a sudden." Edmund stated after a moment, and both Peter and Lucy turned their heads to look at him. "I mean, I can only imagine what the two of you are going through, but that is no excuse for her to do what she's doing."

"We can't blame her for not knowing how to deal with all this," Lucy started, though she was not sure why she was defending her oldest sister, "I mean…you and I can still go to Narnia, but Peter and Susan cannot. Peter is learning how to deal with it, but Susan…if she was indeed in love with Caspian, don't you thin—"

"Why on earth are you defending her?" Edmund interrupted as he glared at his youngest sister, "She _is_ being immature and egocentric! She's trying to hide her feelings behind stupid parties, and she flirts with every guy she sees because she refuses to admit she can't see Caspian again! Look at Peter! You don't see him behaving like a kid all of the time, do you?"

"People behave differently, so you can't possibly expect for Susan to behave like Peter does." Lucy tried to say, but she went silent when Peter suddenly raised a hand, silently requesting for their siblings to calm down.

"I understand why you want to defend her, Lu, but this is enough." Peter started, tiredness finally conquering both his mind and body, "Susan is old enough to know that what she's doing is not right, but she refuses to admit it. All we can do now is to leave her alone, and be there for her. For now, you two should go to bed."

"Yeah right, we should just knock some sense on her." Edmund grunted, but he quieted down when Peter glanced at him, causing the younger boy to look away. "But whatever, it's not as if I'm sleepy, so don't tell me to go to bed."

"I'm not tired either," Lucy declared, and Peter gazed at her before nodding, "Why don't we talk about what we can do while we wait for Susan to come home? We could try to come up with some sort of plan to help her. I mean, she can't keep pretending that we never went to Narnia, and that she never met Aslan…and Caspian."

"Well, it's not as if we have something better to do." Edmund mumbled as he crossed his arms against his chest again, and Peter observed his siblings for a moment before nodding in agreement.

That was going to be a long night…

* * *

A child's cry was echoing through the deserted halls, while a hushed lullaby was being whispered to the bright stars and pale, silver moon. A strong door was noiselessly opened, revealing a tall and strong man, whose posture imposed authority and power.

"My king…" the woman sitting on the bed whispered in an exhausted tone, and a pair of deep and dark brown eyes glanced at her before resting on the weeping infant that she was holding. "It's a girl…"

"She's perfect." the man whispered as he approached the bed, his eyes never leaving the child, who was finally calming down. The woman gazed down at the baby, humming as she did before gazing up. "What do you think of Thea?"

"I couldn't ask for a better name…" the woman hushed before looking at the now quiet baby, but when she glanced to her side, ready to gaze at her husband again, she noticed the white object that he was holding.

An ivory horn…

No, it was _the_ ivory horn…

Slowly she raised her eyes to look at her husband, and noticed that he was still observing the child she was carefully and gently holding in her arms. He had a tender expression on his face, but after so many years together, she could easily make out the sadness on the depths of his eyes.

"We'll show her to our people tomorrow morning." the man commented suddenly before looking at his wife, still with the same tender expression on his face, "Do you think you'll have enough strength by then?"

"Of course, this is not my first born, as you know." the woman laughed lightly before touching the little nose of the baby with the tip of her index finger, "Welcome home, my sweet Thea. This is your papa."

Slowly, and weakly, the woman raised her arms towards her husband, who quickly sat down on the bed when he understood what she was about to do. Carefully, he gathered the small infant in his arms, his eyes taking in every inch of the baby in silence.

"I shall call for the nanny so that you may rest." the man spoke suddenly before standing up from the mattress, tenderly and slowly in order not to awake the baby he was still holding in his arms, "I'll return in a few minutes."

"Caspian…" the woman called out when her husband was about to reach the door of the bedroom, but when he looked over his shoulder, at her, she smiled faintly at him. "Nothing, I apologize. Please, tell the nanny to wake me up whenever she finds it necessary."

With a short nod, the King left the bedroom, and with a sigh, the woman rested her back against the large pillows behind her. For a moment, she closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, her limbs trembling slightly as they finally started to relax. Then, the woman opened her eyes again, and stared through the window that was located close to her side of the bed.

That was such a peaceful and lukewarm summer night…

Long hours later, when most of the castle was already lost in dreams, a shadow stood up from a bed. It was in silence that a pair of feet led a trembling body down the hall until the open doors that lead to a balcony came into view. A sigh abandoned a pair of rose lips as two pale and shaking hands hold an ivory horn almost as if it was one of the most treasured possessions of all time.

Quietly, the tremulous shadow walked through the open doors, and the moonlight immediately fell upon the pale complexion of a woman, who gazed at the stars almost instantaneously. Her eyes, a deep shade of hazel, gazed at moon moments later, and unconsciously the woman increased her grip on the horn.

No matter how hard she tried, she could not ignore the look she had seen on her husband's eyes. And it was with that image in mind that the woman continued staring at the dark heavens above, and pressed the horn against her chest.

"One of the miracles of love," she started in a low tone, "It gives a power of seeing through its own enchantments and yet not being disenchanted. And, no matter what others say, you are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."

As she took a deep breath, the woman looked down at the horn she was still pressing against her chest, and closed her eyes. The tip of her right hand fingers started caressing the smooth surface of the horn in light circles, and the corner of the woman's lips gradually curled upwards into a smile.

"Aslan, I do not know if you will hear this prayer when so many others are requesting for support and help," she started, once again raising her eyes so that she could stare at the sky, "But please, allow me to say this; allow him to experience the happiness I was unable to offer him."

Carefully, the woman raised the horn up to her lips, her smile never quivering as her mind recalled her husband. In this memory, he was holding their first born in his arms, a wide smile on his face.

"Allow him to live the dream he tries to hard to forget."

Gently, the woman pressed the horn to her lips, but before she could blow it, the sound of footsteps forced her to look behind her, at the open doors of the balcony. It did not surprise her, though, when her husband emerged from the shadows, looking both confused and tired.

"What are you doing?" he asked, and she smiled tenderly at him still holding the horn close to her lips, "What are you planning on doing with that?"

"I'm simply wishing on a star," she answered, and when she noticed that he was about to speak, she rested the horn against her lips again before taking a deep breath.

And then the tune of the horn echoed throughout the night towards the horizon.

* * *

"Where have you been?"

Surprise took over a young woman's limbs, causing her to jump off her feet at same time she spun around in complete fright. Her bright blue eyes, widened in shock, narrowed when she noticed the three figures scattered through the living-room's sofa and armchairs.

Only one person was awake though, for the smallest one was already sleeping on the sofa, while a young boy had dozed off on the armchair. Another pair of blue orbs quickly found hers, and before she knew it, she felt anger bubbling inside of her.

"Oh, good night _father, _I didn't know you were going to stay up, waiting for me," she hissed, revealing her resentment, but the young man, sitting on the second armchair, which was turned to the door, simply continued staring at her. "Do you wish to lecture me at this hour?"

"I'm simply worried about you," the young man answered, and she had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes, "You have been going to parties all week! Do you even know what time it is? Not to mention there's school tomorrow."

"Oh, please, don't you even start." she retorted, though she managed to keep her voice low in order not to awake those who were already lost in dreams, "I don't have to answer to you. Why don't you go to bed?"

"I would be sleeping, had you arrived earlier." the boy answered, but she simply bit the interior of her cheek to stop herself from answering him in what could be considered a rude way, "But now that you are here, I have no reason to stay up. So if you excuse me…"

"That's it then?" she asked before she could stop herself right when her older brother was about to walk past her, to go to his room, "You waited for me all this time just to ask me if I knew what time it was?"

"If that's what you think…" he replied before glancing at the sleeping figures behind him, "Don't wake them up, because only heavens know when they'll fall asleep again if they get up. As for you…well, you're old enough to know its past bedtime, and that you ought to go to bed."

"Peter…"

"You're the one who decided to live your life through hobbies and stupid luxuries, so I apologize for actually caring about your wellbeing." the young man interrupted before giving his sister one last glance, and then he made his way towards the stairs.

When she was finally alone, she glanced at her two younger siblings before deciding to go to her room as well. Regardless if she wanted to voice the fact that she knew that it was extremely late out loud or not, she knew that it was indeed time to go rest.

Thankfully, it did not take long for her to get ready to go to bed, and it was with a content sigh that she lay down on the mattress, and covered herself with the covers. Then, she turned to her side, and closed her eyes before allowing one prayer to cross her mind.

_Please, not the dream of a dream…_

However, a few minutes later, when the house was silent and peaceful, the ground started shaking.

**To Be Continued…**

Okay, so regardless of the fact I have yet to watch the movie (damn country, making me wait until July 17th), I decided that I could start posting this story. I have an idea about when the next chapter is going to be posted (because it's already written), but I prefer to keep the date to myself. Anyway, I hope you guys can forgive any mistakes you may find here, and that may have nothing to do with the movie or the books. Also, I'm open to opinions, so if you have any ideas that you'd like for me to write, please, let me know. I will give you full credit for it.

Oh, and **I really have to thank all of you for the support you guys gave me**. I am really happy to know that so many people enjoyed reading _Dream of a Dream._ Seriously, thank you everyone! I just hope I won't disappoint you!

See you next time!


	2. Reality Within a Dream

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. I simply decided to twist this fantastic world by adding some of my characters in order to create my own plot. Therefore, aside from my characters and the plot, I own nothing.

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Okay, I know only a few days have passed ever since I posted the first chapter, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to update this story. I think I can keep up with this without having to worry about whatever happened in the movie. However, I still want say I appreciate it if someone tells me I have something wrong. Aside from that, I want to thank **musicormisery4105**, **Roswalyn**, **Elavie**, **Erin-21**, **enjoylife1994**, **CEDRICSGURL1988** _and_ **The Sushi Monster**for your support. I really hope I manage to keep up with this story until I see the movie.

Oh, also, some of you asked me if I was going to keep posting the chapters here or in _Dream of a Dream._ Well, _Dream of a Dream _was a one-shot I decided to write just for fun, and as you probably noticed, it is finished. This is the sequel; therefore I'll keep posting this here, under the title _The Unwritten Fairytale._ I hope you keep enjoying this!

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**Chapter 1**

_Reality Within a Dream_

It was a sudden yet quiet caress of the sun that forced a pair of eyelids to flutter open, revealing a pair of tired blue eyes. For a moment nothing was said as a young woman lazily stared at the blue ceiling at same time she covered her mouth with a hand since a yawn was making its way up her throat.

Then, she stopped moving.

Since when did she have a blue painted ceiling? And…was that a…cloud?

"Susan!"

At the sound of her name, the young woman quickly sat up straight only to realise that she was no longer in her bedroom. Instead, she was sitting on a flowerbed, surrounded by the gentle fragrance of yellow dahlias. In confusion, she started looking around, and blinked when she spotted her younger sister running towards her, waving a hand in the air.

"Oh Susan, we're back!"

"Back?" she repeated, her brain still trying to process what was going on, and her sister practically threw herself to the ground as soon as she was beside her, "Where exactly _are_ we?"

"Oh Susan, don't you remember?" the youngest girl asked, a wide smile on her face, "We're in Narnia!"

"Susan! Lucy!"

Susan looked behind her little sister only to see her two brothers running towards them. Peter looked extremely confused as well while Edmund was glancing everywhere, almost as if he wanted to be sure that they were back to…

"Peter, this isn't possible!" Susan exclaimed as she stared at her older brother, who looked back at her. However, when she noticed how perplexed he looked, misery and rage started to conquer her soul, "How can this be? I don't want to be here!"

"Susan, please—"

"No! I don't want to be here!" Susan interrupted her older brother at same time she covered her ears, and closed her eyes shut. "This is a dream! This is nothing but a bad dream, and I want to wake up!"

"Oh come off it, we're back in Narnia!" Edmund scolded, as he stared at his oldest sister, "This way you can see that you've been behaving like a child lately. Narnia is real, and for some reason the four of us were called back."

"Yes, we ought to go look for Aslan!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly, but Susan ignored them as she continued pressing the palm of her hands against her ears, her knees now resting against her chest, "Please Susan, you can't pretend this is a dream. If it was just you're imagination, why would we be here as well?"

"Susan, please, there must be a reason…" Peter trailed off when a strange sound forced three of the four siblings to look behind them.

When the source of the sound finally revealed itself, Peter, Edmund and Lucy widened their eyes in both shock and surprise. In front of them was someone they had never expected to see again, much less without having changed at all.

"Caspian!" Lucy shouted, her smile growing even wider although that appeared to be impossible, and Susan felt her whole body freeze at the name. Even though she knew she was probably living a dream, she could not fight against the wish of staring at the one who had changed her life in more ways than she wanted to admit.

And that was why she slowly allowed for her eyelids to flicker open only to feel her breathe get stuck on her throat when her eyes meet the pair of brown orbs that had haunted her nights ever since she had last seen him.

Then, Susan Pevensie did the only thing she could think of.

Without ever looking away from the newcomer, Susan quickly stood up from the ground, and turned around on her heels. Then, without even bothering to say a word, Susan started running as fast as she could, away from the thing had affected her both positively and negatively.

"Susan!" Lucy shouted as she watched her sister disappearing behind a tree without even glancing over her shoulder, and she hurriedly turned to her brothers, "We have to go after her! What if something happens to her?"

"May someone explain me what's going on?" Caspian inquired suddenly as he also looked away from the direction Susan had chosen to run away, and gazed at the three Pevensie siblings. "I thought you would never be able to return."

"Trust me; we're all on the same boat." Peter answered before glancing at the tree behind which his sister had disappeared, "Right now we have to go find Susan; she's not thinking straight, and only heavens know what she may do."

"Oh, you stay here, I'll go get her." Edmund spoke suddenly as he walked from behind Lucy, "The three of you just stay here, so that I know where to find you. On the meantime, why don't you try to figure out what's going on around here?"

"Alright, but if you fail to find her, please return, and let us know so that we may go search for her together." Peter advised, and Edmund looked at him before nodding, and then he quickly went after Susan.

"Oh, I hope she's alright," Lucy confessed as she pressed both her hands against her chest, and Peter quickly went to his sister's side, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Do you think she's going to be alright?"

"Well," Peter glanced at Caspian, who looked as confused as all of them, and then he sighed before gazing at his youngest sister, "I sure hope so."

* * *

Her muscles were already screaming, but she did not care less. Her lungs appeared to be at the edge of collapsing, but all that went unnoticed as she continued to force her body to move forward as fast as she could. Even though she had to look ahead, she was doing the best she could to ignore the trees, the animals, and even the cracking sound of the leaves on which she stepped on.

All of her surroundings belonged to a dream…actually; everything around her belonged to a very bad dream, and all she wanted was to wake up. It was true, she often had dreams concerning a magical land, a lion, and a prince, but she usually managed to wake up before things got too confusing.

This time, however, no matter how hard she tried, she appeared to be locked inside her mind.

And it was needless to say that she absolutely hated that.

"Please, let me wake up…" Susan whispered to herself as she continued running through the forest, her eyes glancing everywhere, in desperate attempts to find a way out, "C'mon, I _have_ to wake up…"

_"Susan!"_

Even though she kept on running, Susan closed her eyes for a few seconds when the voice of her youngest brother erupted from somewhere behind her. Even though she wanted to stop, and wait for him, the truth was that she could not do it. No matter how hard she tried to be rational, her body simply refused to obey her mind.

And that was why she could not stop running.

Suddenly, a pair of brown eyes flashed from the back of her mind, and Susan closed her eyes shut as a reaction. She could not allow for that dream to affect her. She had already made her choice, and she was going to forget all about that no matter how hard and painful it could be.

Since Susan was still running with her eyes closed, it did not take long for the young woman to slam against something, which caused her to fall on the ground with a small groan. When pain abruptly erupted from her lower back, Susan winced, and opened her eyes slightly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

In confusion, Susan looked at what she had bumped into, and blinked in confusion when she noticed that what was standing in front of her was a young woman. She did not appear to be any older than Susan herself, and she was dressed in an elegant sapphire blue gown.

"Are you hurt?"

At that sudden question, Susan snapped from her thoughts, and noticed that the young woman had extended a hand towards her. Hurriedly, Susan stood up from the ground, silently refusing the help, and straightened up despite of the dull pain she was feeling on her lower back.

She knew that if she touched something from her dream, something bad would happen.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I wasn't counting on bumping into someone here." the young woman apologized, and Susan mentally wondered about why on earth she was dreaming of a stranger. That girl had never appeared in her thoughts before, but at same time, Susan could not help but feel like something was pulling her to the foreigner.

"It's alright; I didn't notice where I was going either." Susan spoke up before she could restrain herself, and the girl smiled lightly at her, which caused the Queen of old to entitle her head slightly to the side, "May I ask who you are?"

"Oh, my n—"

"Susan!"

At her name, the once named the Gentle looked over her shoulder, and watched as Edmund emerged from behind a tree. He looked tired and annoyed, most likely because he had not been expecting to run after his sister right when they had just returned to Narnia.

"What on earth were you thinking, running off like that?" Edmund scolded as he approached his sister, arms now pressed against his chest while a deep frown was on his face, "Everyone is worried sick about you! They were all ready to come after you!"

"I'm not going back," Susan answered shortly, and Edmund rolled his eyes at her reply, "You may go, but I'm staying here. I refuse to go back, and…and…"

"Ah come off it, we all know you're dying to see him again!" Edmund cut his sister off sharply, and Susan immediately closed her mouth shut, "I'm tired of telling you that I know why you've been behaving like a boy-crazy girl lately! And don't you act as if you don't want to go to him, and do whatever you people like to do, because I know that's exactly what you want to do."

"Edmund, I—"

"So, shall you come with me, or do I have to drag you myself?" Edmund questioned in a determined tone, and for a moment Susan just stared at him. Regardless of what people could think Edmund was a very persuasive person when he wanted to, and she knew that he would eventually drag her back if she decided to repeat that she was not going to return.

"Ed, I cannot go back." Susan decided to confess, her voice above a whisper, but when her brother said nothing, she decided to continue. "I cannot go back, because…none of this is real, and…I don't want to go through the same thing all over again."

"See? You're being selfish!" Edmund exclaimed as he threw his arms in the air, and Susan looked away at the statement, "You're not afraid of going back because this is a dream, you're afraid of going back, because you're scared to meet him again! Good lord, if this is what people in love have to go through, then spare me the headache!"

"Edmund, please…"

"No, you either come now, or I _will_ drag you!" Edmund interrupted swiftly, and Susan mentally took a long deep breath, "Why on earth are you trying so hard to admit that this isn't a dream, when you know this is all real?"

"I can't go through all this again!" Susan finally cried out, and she closed her hands into tight fists as a reaction to her out-burst, "Aslan, told me that I couldn't return! He told me I had learnt everything I had to learn. He told Peter the same thing! Do you know what this is doing to us? He crushed all of our hope of returning, and suddenly we're back!"

"Susan, have you thought that perhaps we should go look for Aslan, and ask him why we're back?" Edmund asked, now in a calmer tone, and Susan looked down before closing her eyes, "He's the only one who can tell us what's going on. Don't torture yourself now, especially because this is supposed to be a happy occasion."

"I don't know if I can be happy…" Susan trailed off when a refreshing breeze suddenly blew from north, and started caressing her face, almost as if it wanted for her to raise her head. Hesitantly, Susan raised her eyes, and gazed at her brother, "I don't know if I can see him again, when I was so sure our paths would never meet again…"

"Stop being so logical!" Edmund commanded, and Susan blinked at his order, "You're the one who keeps telling me that sometimes we have to follow our heart instead of your mind, but here you are, trying to ignore whatever your heart is saying. And look at me! I'm behaving like a love counsellor, and all because of you!"

"Oh, I'm sorry about that." Susan apologized, though the corner of her lips curled up in amusement, and Edmund looked away in annoyance. Suddenly, she recalled what had happened before her brother had found her, and Susan quickly turned around.

However, this time, no one was there.

"Where…?"

"Well, are you coming or not?" Edmund inquired suddenly, and Susan gazed at her brother before glancing at the spot where the strange girl was supposed to be. She could not possibly have imagined all that, the pain on her back was enough to proof that someone had indeed appeared in front of her.

"Fine, have it your way!"

"What?" Susan blurred out in confusion, but when she turned around to look at Edmund, she felt a hand suddenly grab her elbow. "Ah, Ed, don't drag me! I'll go by myself!"

"No thanks, I don't want to give you any excuse to run off again." Edmund reprimanded, and Susan raised an eyebrow slightly at his antics. Even though she was not sure if she wanted to believe that she was indeed back to Narnia, that did not stop her from treasuring the way Edmund was behaving. He rarely showed so much concern.

However, as the two Pevensie siblings continued walking through the forest, Edmund still holding his sister's elbow, Susan could not help but feel her insides twist in agony. She was still not sure if she was going to have enough courage to look in the eyes of the one that had almost captured her heart, but she was aware that there was no turning back now.

As Susan allowed Edmund to continue to drag her through the middle of the forest, Susan allowed herself to recall the last moments she had spent in Narnia. Her mind quickly focused on the kiss she had shared with Caspian, and for a moment Susan could swear she had felt a strange tingling run through her lips.

She was afraid; there was no point in denying that.

She was anxious; there was no point in denying that.

"_Maybe it's time you had this back."  
_

"_Why don't you hold on to it? You might need to call me again."_

Oh heavens, she was so not going to be able to face him again!

"Edmund, please, stop." Susan tried to say, but her brother simply glared at her over his shoulder, and proceeded to drag her through the forest. "Please, I just want wake up. I just want to leave this place, and go back to my l—"

Susan shut up as soon as she walked around a tree, and her feet practically froze as soon as she noticed that they had arrived. Peter, Lucy and Caspian were sitting on the ground, talking in hushed tones, but the three of them looked up when they heard the footsteps.

"Oh Susan, are you alright?" Lucy questioned as she quickly stood up from the ground, and practically flew to her sister's side. "Please, don't you ever do that again! Do you know how worried we were? Peter was just about to go after you! And so was Caspian!"

"I'm sorry, Lu, I just…" Susan trailed off when she felt some movement on her side, and she cautiously looked away from her sister to gaze to her left. There, staring back at her with an irritated expression on his face stood Peter. "I'm…I'm sorry…"

"Why don't we return to the castle?" Caspian inquired suddenly, but while her siblings gazed at the King, Susan looked down. "You may all rest there, and I can offer you some proper clothing. I'm sure you're feeling cold with that."

At those words, Susan looked down, and flushed ten shades of red when she noticed that she was wearing her white nightgown. In confusion, Lucy glanced at her sister before turning to Caspian, and smile at him.

"Thank you, and afterwards we may try to go, and find Aslan!" she declared excitedly, "I'm sure he'll tell us why we're all here again. Do you think we can do that, Caspian?"

"Certainly, and I shall help you with the search as well." the King answered with a short nod, and Lucy smiled brightly at him before turning to her sister, and rapidly grasp Susan's hand, which forced the older girl to look at her.

"C'mon Su, let's go!" Lucy exclaimed, and even though she had yet to make eye-contact with Caspian, Susan ended up nodding. It was not as if she had a choice anyway, and apart from everything, it was not proper to be wandering around dressed in a nightgown.

"Very well, this way," Caspian announced as he waved a hand to his right, and both Peter and Edmund nodded in understanding while Lucy simply smiled widely. Susan, on the other hand, allowed her sister to start dragging her after the boys, since Lucy was still holding her hand.

However, as the walk towards the castle proceeded, Susan found it impossible not to raise her eyes, and glance at Caspian's back. It was amazing how he had not aged a day ever since they had left Narnia; it was almost as if they had never left on the first place.

And yet, despite of everything, Susan could not help but fear the consequences of being back to Narnia. Even if that was a dream, it seemed that it was going to take a while for her to wake up, and that simply made her feel even more nervous and unease.

After all, even though she could not say that she was in love with Caspian the Tenth, Susan had to admit that she did feel something for him. And no matter what her siblings could say, if her feelings ended up growing deeper and stronger, than Susan did not know what she would do when the time to leave Narnia arrived again.

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Light Shaded Dream

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. I simply decided to twist this fantastic world by adding some of my characters in order to create my own plot. Therefore, aside from my characters and the plot, I own nothing.

* * *

I want to thank **musicormisery4105**, **Lady Light**, **GilbertDrone328**, **The Sushi Monster**, **QueenSusanLovesKingCaspian18**, **Dr. Meridith Brennen-Pevensie**, **azert**, **Shining Friendship**, **mae-E**, **Gaku-chan2690**, **enjoylife1994**, **Dreading Monday**, **CEDRICSGURL1988**, **zanessa229-6968** _and_ **Neo-Princess Rini** for all of your support. I really hope you guys keep enjoying this story. Also, thank you for giving me the chance to keep up with this plot. I really hope I won't disappoint you.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_Light Shaded Dream_

It was with widened eyes, and a soft gasp, that Lucy Pevensie stared at the four statues located in the middle of the garden. She had actually failed to notice them when she had first found the private grounds, being too energized and enthralled by the attractiveness and gentle scent of the flowers to even glance at them, but now that she had spotted the four sculptures, it was practically impossible for her to look away.

She knew who the four statues represented, and that was exactly why Lucy was completely enchanted by them. They were, by lack of words, absolutely perfect; it had taken her less than two seconds to recognize herself and her siblings. Everything was present in the marble sculptures; even the clothing had all of the details, and that was beyond remarkable and extraordinaire.

For a moment, Lucy observed Peter's statue, and was unable not to giggle when she noticed that he looked indeed Magnificent, especially since he was holding his sword with both his hands, almost as if he was ready to attack an invisible opponent. Next to him stood Susan, holding a bow and an arrow, her hair cascading down her back, her pose also indicating that she was ready to shot an arrow.

Then there was Edmund, holding two swords, one on each hand. On contrary of Peter and Susan, Edmund looked as if he was waiting for something to strike him first. And then, there was her own statue, but on contrary of her siblings, she was not holding any weapon; instead, she was holding her fire-flower against her chest.

"This is impressive…"

Lucy spun around at the words, and her smile grew even wider when she noticed that Peter was behind her, also admiring the statues. Both of them were wearing new and comfortable clothes, and for a moment Lucy had to admit that her brother was truly magnificent.

"Do you think Caspian was the one who requested for these to be made?" Lucy questioned as she looked away from her brother to gaze at the four statues, but Peter simply continued staring at the four sculptures, "I think they look fantastic! They even added my fire-flower!"

"Of course they would, that's like your trademark in Narnia." a voice commented suddenly, and both Peter and Lucy looked behind them only to see Edmund walking towards them, also dressed in new clothing, "Had you been carrying a weapon of some sort, then that wouldn't be you."

"Well, they could have added my dagger," Lucy pointed out, but Edmund simply rolled his eyes while Peter smiled faintly at their antics. "Oh, now that we're all ready, we could go search for Aslan. Please, Peter, let's go find him!"

"I'm not sure we should leave right now, Lu, I mean, we just got here." Peter started in a calm tone, and Lucy blinked at his words. "Don't get me wrong, I want to find Aslan as much as you do, but I'd like to hear about what has been going on around here as well."

"I say something wrong must have happened." Edmund started as he walked towards Peter's side, arms folded against his chest, "You remember what Caspian said when we were on our way here, right? He said he didn't blow the horn."

"Well, something was used to bring us all back." Peter started after a short pause, and a serious expression took over his face, "But it is true that none of this makes sense. If Aslan had been the one to call us, then he would certainly be around."

"Not to mention that it is kind of strange to see Caspian exactly the way we left him." Edmund added, and when both Peter and Lucy gazed at him, he shrugged, "Well, it is true and you know it. He was supposed to be way older by now."

"That's why I say we ought to find Aslan." Lucy repeated as she gazed at both her siblings, "He's the only one who can explain what's going on to us. I mean, I know it will probably take a while until we find him, but don't you think we should at least give it a try?"

"Well, I can't say I don't want to find Aslan," Edmund started, "but in a way Peter is right. I don't think we should leave the castle just yet. We need to talk to Caspian, and see what has been going on around here."

"But…"

"What do you say if we go search for Aslan tomorrow?" Peter asked as he turned to his sister, and rested a hand on her shoulder, "The sun is already setting anyway, and it wouldn't do us any good to go look for Aslan in the middle of the night."

"Alright…" Lucy whispered, looking a bit crestfallen, and Peter smiled at her before resting a hand on top of the girl's head. When her older brother stepped backwards, Lucy gazed at the four statues next to her before looking at her two brothers, "I'm going to look for Susan."

"We'll be here for a while, in case you need us." Peter answered, and Lucy nodded in understanding before twirling around on her heels, and walk towards the doors of the castle. When they were finally alone, Peter turned to Edmund, who looked back at him.

"Well, one thing is for certain," Edmund started as the two brothers continued staring at one another, "Something has to have happened for you and Susan to be here. I personally do not see Aslan changing his mind about something unless something dreadfully serious is going on."

* * *

She carefully run the tip of her fingers through the wall next to her as she walked, her shoes making a lightly sound against the stoned floor. Her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to stop them, were glancing everywhere, drinking in every detail that surrounded her. For three times she had been forced to cover her mouth when she had felt her lips curling upwards, and for three times she had scolded herself for being behaving like a child.

She had made a vow of never thinking about Narnia again, and yet there she was, allowing for that dream to conquer both her body and soul. Oh, she knew that was foolish, but still it was almost as if there was something inside of her that was aching to accept all that as reality.

When she walked past a window, Susan forced herself to stop, and she gazed outside at same time she rested both her hands on the window-frame. The sun was already disappearing behind the trees, offering golden shades to the leaves while the sky was being painted with the colours of the rainbow by an invisible brush.

It was then that Susan glanced at the garden below, and blinked when she spotted both Peter and Edmund sitting on a stoned bench. Not too far from them, located in the middle of the garden, were four statues that Susan recognized instantly.

Those were the statues of the Kings and Queens of old…

The feeling of something missing hit Susan square on the chest as she continued to stare at the four statues. She guessed that that feeling had something to do with the turmoil she had been trying to beat ever since she had first fallen victim of that dream. Her mind, her logical side, was struggling to convince her whole soul that she was living a dream, but her heart, her emotional side, was screaming that everything was real…

…that despite of what Aslan had told her, she was indeed back to Narnia.

"Oh, stop it." Susan growled to herself as she turned her back to the window, and closed her eyes. "Don't be foolish. This is simply another game, like all the others you used to play when you were a child."

"I'm sorry, but is it a habit in your world to talk to yourself?" a voice inquired suddenly, and Susan's eyes snapped wide open for she had recognized the accent immediately. Oh dear heavens, why now? "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes," Susan answered shortly, not having any strength to elaborate her reply, but the sound of footsteps getting closer indicated that the conversation was far from being over, "Hum…thank you for the dress, it's quite lovely."

"May I ask you something?"

Even though all she wanted was to say no, Susan found herself nodding slowly, her hands now resting on the window-frame, behind her back. Even though she was looking to the opposite way, she could feel him quite close to her; closer than when he had first spoken to her, and Susan could not help but feel quite uncomfortable about it.

"Have I done something that offended you?"

"Please, allow me to answer your question with another question," Susan heard herself utter, and she closed her hands into tight fists when she felt the young man nod from beside her, "Why did you call us back?"

"I'm sorry, but just like I have told King Peter and King Edmund, I haven't called for you." Caspian explained in a controlled tone, and Susan felt her breath get stuck on her throat, "It is not as if that thought has never crossed my mind, but every time I grabbed your horn, I would remember that you would not return, and that is why I never blew it again."

"This isn't fair," Susan whispered before she could stop herself, and she closed her eyes once again when she felt tears blurring her vision, "Just when I was beginning to forget…"

"You…don't want to be here?" Caspian questioned after a short pause, but Susan simply kept her eyes closed, and did not answer. "I must admit when I saw you and your siblings at the forest, I was surprised and pleased. Surprised because I never expected to see you again, and pleased because…well, because you're here."

"Edmund and Lucy are the ones who should be here." Susan started bitterly, but Caspian kept quiet, "Peter and I… This just isn't fair. I just want to wake up, and forget I ever returned here. I don't need this right now."

"Queen Susan…"

Suddenly, Susan felt something warm rest on her forearm, and she automatically looked down at it. For a moment, Susan just stared at Caspian's hand, and felt the way his fingers wrapped around her arm before raising her head, and look straight at the King's deep eyes.

And on the moment their eyes met, Susan knew she had done the worst mistake ever.

He had not aged a day ever since they had returned to England. How was that possible, Susan did not understand, and at the moment she simply did not want to be reasonable. All that she cared about was the way Caspian was staring at her, and of how her insides were twisting in a painful and uncomfortable way.

Before Susan knew what she was doing, she felt her body move closer to Caspian's while the King simply continued standing, completely motionless. Only his eyes moved as they accompanied her movements, but when Susan felt Caspian's warm breath caressing her cheeks, she stopped.

What on earth was she doing?

Abruptly, Susan jumped backwards, away from Caspian's touch, behaving as if he had just burnt her. Gradually and somewhat unsteadily, Susan started walking backwards, her now widened eyes still locked with Caspian's confused ones.

"What am I doing?" Susan asked to herself as she continued staring at Caspian, but when the King finally gave one step towards her, she started shaking her head. "This is all a bad dream… I shouldn't have done that."

"Queen Susan…"

"No! Don't call me that!" Susan practically yelled, and she immediately covered her ears with both her hands, her eyes still locked with Caspian's. "You're only a memory! You don't exist! I can't do this!"

And against all of her good judgment, Susan turned her back to the King, and started running down the hall, away from the one who had caused her heart to start beating painfully against her rib cage.

* * *

For a moment, Peter just stood outside his sister's bedroom, pondering about what he was supposed to do. One side of him really wanted to knock on the door, but the other side of him simply had no idea about what he was supposed to do. He was good at talking to Lucy, but when it came to Susan things changed significantly.

After debating for a moment about what he was supposed to do, Peter finally raised his hand, now closed into a fist, and lightly knocked on the door. He was not entirely sure if Susan was going to open the door, but he guessed it did not hurt to hope.

"Susan, it's me." Peter introduced himself as he dropped his hand, and he gave one step backwards as he waited for something to happen. "I'd like to share a word with you. May I come in?"

Peter had no idea about how long he waited for the door to be opened, but when nothing happened, Peter sighed. He seriously had been expecting to talk to Susan before dinner, but if things continued like that, then everything would be more complicated than he had expected.

"Susan, please, let me in." Peter requested again as he continued staring at the door, "You and I need to talk. We have to figure out what has been going on, but we can't do that with me staring at your door."

For a long period of time nothing happened, and when Peter was just about to turn around, and walk away, the door was opened slowly. On the other side stood an exhausted looking Susan, whose eyes were already bloodshot, most likely from crying.

"I want to go home," Susan whispered as she turned her back to Peter, and disappeared inside her room. For a second, Peter just stood on the same spot before deciding to follow his sister, closing the door soundlessly behind him.

"I thought you'd be happy to be here," Peter commented as he watched Susan approaching one of the windows of her room, and stare outside, the sky slowly growing darker, "I mean, this is exactly why you changed, isn't it?"

"That has nothing to do with this," Susan started as she continued staring outside, but when Peter said nothing, she glanced at him only to notice that her brother had entitled his head to the side. "I mean…This is a dream, I'm simply waiting for the moment I'll wake up, and forget about this."

"C'mon Su, you can't possibly still be thinking that this is a dream." Peter started as he moved closer to his sister, who looked away at his statement, "Besides, I understand what you're going through, but for me this is reality. Sure it doesn't make sense for us to be here, but that's why we have to go find Aslan."

"It's just that…" Susan gazed at the moon, as it slowly made its way to the top of the sky, and then she took a deep breath before turning to her brother again, "Is this ends up being reality, and we're forced to leave again…I don't know what I'll do."

At those words, Peter found himself walking towards his sister, and he silently wrapped his arms around her, pulling Susan into a tight hug. For a long moment, the two of them just stood in that position, but Peter increased his grip around his sister when he felt her shake against him.

"I don't know if I'll be able to leave again…" Susan confessed, her voice trembling as she spoke, her hands now resting on her brother's back, but Peter simply continued to hold her against him. "I don't know if I'll be able to leave him again…"

"Let's first try to figure out what's going on," Peter started after trying to come up with something to say, "Let's try to find Aslan, and ask him about why we came here along with Lu and Ed. Then we can try to think about what we're going to do, alright?"

"I'm not even sure if I want to meet Aslan again." Susan admitted, and Peter gently rested his hands on his sister's shoulders before he stepped backwards so that he could look at Susan in the eye, "What if he says we were sent here by mistake? What if he says we have to return to England?"

"Hey, stop with all of those doubts, you're supposed to be the level-headed one, not me." Peter interrupted, his hands still resting on Susan's shoulders, and his sister looked away, "Like I said, let's go find Aslan, and ask him about what's going on. Just remember that despite of what he may say, we're together in this. Stop thinking you're alone, alright?"

At those words, Susan timidly raised her eyes to gaze at her brother, who smiled slightly at her, in a reassuring way. Then, after a few seconds without saying anything, Susan ended up nodding in silent agreement, which caused her brother's smile to widen a little bit.

All Susan hoped was that she was not going to regret that decision in the future.

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Golden Age Connection

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. I simply decided to twist this fantastic world by adding some of my characters in order to create my own plot.

* * *

I want to thank **liz22463**, **QueenSusanLovesKingCaspian18**, **Bereft**, **Dr. Meridith Brennen-Pevensie**, **The Sushi Monster**, **BertieBottsBeans**, **Shining Friendship**, **GilbertDrone328**, **CEDRICSGURL1988** _and_ **enjoylife1994** for everything! I'm really happy to know that you're all enjoying my story, and I really hope I won't disappoint you in the future.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_Golden Age Connection_

It was in silence that Caspian the Tenth raised his eyes from his plate, and glanced around at his guests. Since it was already rather late, only the King and the Pevensie siblings were present in the dinning-room, but the atmosphere was not one of glee or exhilaration. Lucy had, for more than once, tried to start a few conversations; most of them connected with Narnia, but only Edmund and Caspian himself answered her.

From his seat, Caspian had noticed how Peter appeared to occasionally get lost in his thoughts, and the fact he barely talked or ate were but small hints about his internal turmoil. And then, there was Susan, who tried not to even glance at the King of Narnia. She did not speak either; in fact, aside from saying 'good night' when she had walked inside the room, Susan had not uttered one single word.

Now, Caspian had to admit he was as confused as the four siblings were, but he could not conceal his delight for long. When he had first spotted the siblings at the forest he had been both surprised and shocked, but after seeing Susan…he could not explain it, but he had felt as if decades had passed ever since he had last seen her, and the wish to hold her close to him had almost taken over him.

"Oh Caspian, do you think you can come with us tomorrow?" Lucy inquired suddenly, and the King tore his eyes away from the quiet Susan to glance at the youngest Pevensie, "If you are not too busy, of course, but I think it would be great if you could accompany us."

"Lu, Caspian is the King now, he's probably extremely occupied." Peter spoke for the first time ever since dinner had started, and both Caspian and Lucy turned to him, "We can go by ourselves. This way we can go visit some of our old friends."

"Well, if you allow me, I may very well skip the meetings I have for tomorrow, and go with you." Caspian quickly declared as his eyes found Peter's, "I have no reunions of grand importance tomorrow, which may give me some free time. However, I'll only change my schedule if you accept my help."

"Oh, let him come." Edmund stated all of a sudden, and everyone turned to him, "If he wants to come, I don't see why we should forbid him. Besides, he's the King of Narnia; there's absolutely no reason for him to be asking for our consent. He can do whatever he wants."

"Are you sure it's alright with you to come with us?" Peter questioned as he turned to Caspian, who simply nodded in return, and the oldest Pevensie sighed at the King's reaction. "Very well, we shall leave after breakfast. I hope that's alright with everyone."

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room." Susan unexpectedly declared at same time she stood up from her chair, but when she straightened up, she gazed at her siblings, "After breakfast, you say? I shall ask for the maids to prepare us some food for the trip."

Everyone watched as Susan walked out of the dinning-room, but it was only after the doors closed behind the Queen of Old that Caspian gazed at the other three Pevensies. For a moment he just observed as they shared glances among them, until he decided to clear his throat.

"I'm afraid I have to ask," Caspian started in a slow tone, and the three siblings looked at him again, "have I done something that has offended Queen Susan? I've noticed that she barely looks at me, and I simply cannot start a conversation with her."

"Oh no, it's not you, Caspian, it's just…" Peter paused, and glanced at both Lucy and Edmund, who simply looked back at him, "You need to understand that Susan and I never expected to return. We were just beginning to accept the idea that only Ed and Lu would be able to come to Narnia when we suddenly…well, returned."

"Are you sure you have no idea about what happened that forced the four of us to return?" Edmund asked suddenly as he reached out for his glass, but Caspian simply gazed at him, "Because it is weird for us to be back when apparently there's no reason for us to be here."

"I'm sorry, but like I told you, I have no idea what may have brought you back." Caspian answered as he leaned against the back of his chair, "I have tried to think of a reason, but I simply cannot understand it."

"And then there's the fact that you haven't aged a day." Peter pointed out as he crossed his arms against his chest, and then he gazed at Lucy, "I guess we really need to find Aslan. Only he will be able to tell us what's going on."

"On the meantime, I promise I'll try to convince Susan to talk to you." Lucy said abruptly as she looked up from her plate to gaze at Caspian, "I know she has been dying to see you, but she's too worried about all this being a dream. So, don't worry, I'll make her see that she's just being silly in no time."

"Thank you," Caspian thanked with a small smile, which Lucy immediately returned before continuing to eat. Peter, taking the opportunity to finally abandon his confusing thoughts, focused his attention on the King.

"So, how are you dealing with the kingdom?"

* * *

Her heart was beating agonizingly against her chest. It was so excruciating that it was becoming hard to breath, and Susan was forced to stop her tracks as soon as she reached the middle of the garden. As she tried to calm her heart down, Susan walked towards a stone bench, and sat down before pressing a hand against her chest.

Unhurriedly, Susan pressed the back of her head against the tree's trunk behind her, and took a long deep breath. She did not understand how one single person could affect her that much; not even the boys in England had that effect on her! However, every time she looked at Caspian she would feel anxious, nervous…terrified, not to mention that her heartbeat would speed up almost instantaneously.

And all that resulted in the most delicious and frightening feeling she had ever felt in her whole life!

After a long moment in silence, Susan closed her eyes, and took another deep breath. She knew she had to calm down, and she knew that she would have to face Caspian sooner or later, but the truth was that she did not know how. She was so afraid of feeling something for the King, that she was not even sure about what to do.

And then there was the fact that at any moment she could be forced to return to reality and to England…

As she felt her heartbeat return to normal, Susan stared at what was in front of her, and blinked when she noticed that she was facing the four statues she had spotted before. What caught her attention, though, were not the sculptures, but the silhouette that was facing them.

In confusion, Susan stood up from the bench as quietly as possible, her right hand still pressed against her chest. Slowly, the Queen of Old started walking towards the figure, noticing that it was a girl due to her long and curly hair. When she was only a few steps away from the stranger, Susan stopped her tracks, and mentally wondered about what she was supposed to do.

Then, she decided to use the usual approach.

"I'm sorry," Susan heard herself say as she continued to stare at the woman's back, "but who are you?"

Slowly, the stranger started turning around, and Susan widened her eyes in surprise when she noticed who it was. For a moment, however, the two young women just stared at one another, a soft wind blowing from east, combing their hairs with gentle fingers.

"My name is Eilidh." the unknown girl identified herself with a small bow, and Susan blinked at her introduction. When the young woman raised her head, she stared at Susan for a moment before glancing at the four statues behind her, "And you must be…" a short pause, and the girl turned to Susan again, "Queen Susan, the Gentle."

"Yes, I'm Susan Pevensie." the Queen of Old agreed with a short nod, and Eilidh bowed again, "Oh please; you don't have to do that. My time to rule has long passed."

"But you are still a Queen." Eilidh pointed out as she straightened up again, her hands clasped in front of her legs, "And it's only proper for me to show you some respect. However, I must ask, are you feeling better now?"

"Pardon?" Susan questioned in confusion, and the other girl smiled faintly at her.

"Oh, it's just that when we…met at the forest I noticed you were distressed, and you took quite a fall." Eilidh elaborated, and Susan let out a soft 'oh' as she recalled the incident. "I apologize for leaving without notice, but I felt as if you were in good hands when King Edmund appeared."

"How do you know Ed?" Susan inquired as she blinked in puzzlement, and Eilidh waved a hand towards the sculptures behind her in reply, "Oh, the statues, of course. But listen, I've never seen you before. Who are you?"

"I haven't been here for long," Eilidh quickly explained, and Susan nodded in understanding. "My father thought it would be proper for me to come here, and learn more about Narnia. King Caspian was quite kind by accepting me in his castle."

"Oh, so you know Caspian?" Susan questioned, and Eilidh nodded. "May I ask why did your father request for you to come here?"

"He thought it would be proper for me to do so," the other girl quickly summarized, "My father believes that I should always be aware of my surroundings. And frankly, I find this place absolutely magical and beautiful. When my father told me to come, I simply could not decline."

"I see…" Susan whispered as she looked down for a moment, but she promptly gazed at Eilidh again, the words leaving her lips before she could stop them, "Are you and Caspian close?"

"He has been very kind and thoughtful, yes." Eilidh answered, the corner of her lips curling upwards again, and for some reason Susan felt a pang against her heart, "He always tries to spend a few minutes with me, everyday, though he has no reason to do it. I think he's afraid I may feel lonely or even unwanted."

"You weren't in the dinning-room with us," Susan pointed out suddenly, and Eilidh blinked at her statement before nodding, which forced Susan to entitle her head slightly to the side, "May I ask why?"

"Oh, I was informed that the Kings and Queens of Old had returned to Narnia, and that King Caspian was thrilled about meeting them again." Eilidh clarified, and Susan felt her heart skip a beat, "And since I too have heard the tales about Narnia's Golden Age, and about how the Kings and Queens of Old helped King Caspian, I just thought it was only appropriate for me to leave you alone."

As soon as those words were swallowed by the darkness of the night, Susan found herself staring at Eilidh right in the eyes. For some reason, she was compelled to continue with that conversation, though Susan could not understand why. It was almost as if something inside of her was telling her that there was something about Eilidh that she should ascertain.

"Susan!"

At her name, Susan turned to her side, and watched as Lucy run towards her through the garden. Not surprisingly, Lucy wore a wide smile on her face, her long tresses following her form as she moved around, doing her best not to fall due to the length of her dress.

"Oh Susan, Caspian is coming with us tomorrow!" Lucy announced, but Susan could not help but feel discouraged after hearing those words. Was their journey going to be a success when she could not even glance at the King of Narnia? "And we are to leave right after breakfast!"

"That means we ought to go to bed early," Susan replied as Lucy reached her side, and she gently rested a hand on her sister's shoulder before gazing at the third girl, who was watching them in silence, "Lu, this is Eilidh. Eilidh, this is—"

"Queen Lucy, the Valiant." the third girl concluded as she gazed at Lucy, who looked intriguingly back at her. Eilidh quickly bowed in direction of the younger monarch, "It is an honour to meet you, Queen Lucy. I have heard wonders about you."

"Really?" Lucy asked, looking as surprised as she sounded, and Eilidh nodded at same time she straightened up again, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you as well, but…we haven't met before, have we?"

"Lucy, I'll tell you about that tomorrow." Susan stepped in before turning her sister to her, but not before glancing at Eilidh, "Now we both need to go to bed. We can't have you falling asleep during the trip tomorrow, can we?"

"I'm not going to fall asleep!" Lucy protested, causing her sister to laugh lightly at her behaviour, "And I'm not tired either. Why do I have to go to bed while Peter and Edmund get to stay up? That isn't fair, you know?"

"Well, allow me to repeat what I said." Susan started, "_We_ need to go to bed, but if the boys think they'll stay up; then they are extremely mistaken. Shall we go find them, and order them to go to bed?"

"You know Ed hates it when you scold him," Lucy pointed out, and Susan smiled at her before raising her eyebrows in a mischievous way.

"And that is exactly why we're going to lecture them," she retorted, and Lucy smiled in excitement. Then, the oldest Queen of Old turned to Eilidh, and smiled at her, "It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope we'll see each other again."

"Oh, I'll be wandering through the castle. If you ever need anything, just ask one of the maids about my whereabouts." Eilidh answered, and both Susan and Lucy bid farewell before making their way towards the doors of the castle.

However, as she approached the open doors, Susan could not help but sense as if she needed to talk to the stranger she had just met again.

* * *

Shades of red and orange had already started to paint the still darkened sky when Peter left his bedchambers, and quietly made his way towards the dinning-room. Since it was extremely early, Peter knew that his siblings would most likely still be sleeping, especially Edmund and Lucy. Peter was not exactly sure if Susan would still be resting or not, but he had decided that it would be better to wait for everyone in the dinning-room.

As he walked down the hall, Peter started glancing around, his eyes taking in the shape and colour of the walls until he stopped next to a window. With attentive eyes, Peter focused his attention on everything that existed outside before taking a deep breath, taking in the purity of the wind and the fragrance of nature.

Like Susan, he had not idea what they could be doing in Narnia, and even though he found it hard to believe that he was indeed back, Peter still appreciated that opportunity. After being informed by Aslan that he and Susan would never be able to return, Peter had felt as if there were still many things he had to take care of, but that he would never be able to do.

But now there he was, staring through a window, taking in every detail of Narnia. Before he knew it, Peter found himself smiling at the scenery in front of him. To say he was extremely glad and thrilled to be there again was the understatement of the year!

"Good morning!"

Peter looked to his side at the greeting, and blinked when his eyes met another pair of clear blue eyes. She looked calm, Peter quickly noticed, and she was smiling slightly, which Peter could not help but take as a positive sign that she had finally decided to accept that she was back to Narnia.

"Good morning. What are you doing up so early?" Peter questioned, causing his sister to send him a suspicious look before she gazed through the window next to them. "I wasn't expecting to see you up so soon."

"Oh, would you prefer if I had slept in?" Susan inquired without looking away from the private grounds, but when she noticed that Peter was about to speak, she turned her head to him. "I simply could not stay in bed any longer. But I never expected to see you up at this hour either."

"Are you sure you want to come with us?" Peter asked, as he rested a hand on the window's frame, but for a moment Susan just continued staring outside. "You and Lucy can stay here at the castle if you want. We don't even know if we're going to find Aslan. He'll most likely show up when we're not looking anyway."

"No, I have to go." Susan answered as she gazed at her brother again, "No, in fact, I _need_ to go. You and I both know that things cannot stay as they are now. What happened…this wasn't supposed to happen, and I need to understand what's going on. I want to know what reason forced the four of us to come, just like you do."

"Do you think you're up to the challenge?" Peter inquired before he could stop himself, but he regretted his question as soon as Susan glared at him. Before he could rephrase his question, however, Susan glanced at the gardens below, and took a deep breath.

"What is this compared with the wars we participated in?" she asked, her voice coming out rather softly, and Peter unconsciously shifted closer to her. "Besides, like I said, I need to go with you. I need to find the answers I'm looking for."

"Well, then remember that you're not alone in all this." Peter stated, and Susan turned to him again, causing her brother to smile slightly at her, "Regardless of what Aslan may tell us, we're in this together. We're family, after all."

"Man, can't you guys lower your voices?" a voice asked suddenly, and both Peter and Susan looked behind them only to see Edmund walking towards them, fully dressed, but still rubbing his right eye. "These halls create echo, remember?"

"Why, good morning to you too," Peter greeted as he smiled teasingly at his younger brother, who simply glared at him, which caused Susan to shook her head at their antics. Then, before someone could say a word, Lucy emerged from behind Edmund, looking bright and energetic as always.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked as she stared at Edmund before glancing at Peter and Susan, "We're losing time! C'mon, let's go find Caspian, and eat breakfast! The sooner we eat, the sooner we can go find Aslan!"

"Good lord, I don't even want to know where you find all that energy in the morning," Edmund complained under his breath, but Susan, who had managed to catch his words, could not help but raise an eyebrow at him.

"Ah, don't you go start behaving like an old man, Ed." Peter teased, causing his younger brother to glare at him, "Besides, Lucy is right. The sooner we eat, the sooner we'll be able to leave. I just hope we'll be able to find Aslan."

"Oh, I'm sure we will!" Lucy exclaimed enthusiastically at same time she clasped her hands in front of her chest, her lips curled upwards in a wide smile, and Peter could not help but smile back at her. "So, please, please, let's go!"

"Too much energy…" Edmund mumbled as Lucy started walking down the hall, not even waiting for her siblings to follow her. Peter could not help but chuckle at his brother's words while Susan continued standing on the same spot, watching Lucy's retreating form.

To find Aslan…

When she had woken up that morning, Susan had decided that she was going to try, and give everything a chance. Her rational side had instantaneously called her a fool because she still could not help but feel as if she was in a dream, but her emotional side had screamed in glee at her resolution.

She was still going to be extremely cautions, and she was going to keep her walls up, but she guessed that for her siblings' sake, she would have to follow them. The only thing that was now worrying her was the trip itself.

"Well, let's go." Peter declared suddenly, but Susan simply moved her eyes as she watched her two brothers going after Lucy, but instead of following them, she stood on the same spot.

The only thing that was now worrying her was the trip, and the fifth element that was going to participate in it.

When a temperate breeze blew from the window next to her, Susan stared at it, her eyes finding the heavens almost immediately. A bright and most likely warm day was approaching, but despite of everything, Susan could not help but feel worried about what was about to begin.

No, what was tormenting her the most was not what was going to begin, but the way everything could end.

**To Be Continued…**


	5. The Sound of a Forgotten Voice

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. I simply decided to twist this fantastic world by adding some of my characters in order to create my own plot.

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I just watched _Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian_, and heavens, I _so_ loved it! I felt like watching everything all over again when it was over! It was just a shame because I didn't get to see some scenes that I found in certain icons and pictures, such as when Susan is teaching Caspian archery. But oh well, at least I now have brand new ideas! Now I know what to write, and I can't wait to do it! I had an idea about the White Witch, but now I know exactly what to do! I just hope everyone likes my ideas!

* * *

'_Things do not happen the same way twice.' _Aslan to Lucy in **Prince Caspian**

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**Chapter 4**

_The Sound of a Forgotten Voice_

It was with an annoyed sigh that Edmund sat down on the saddle of his horse, and grabbed the reigns. A frown was on his face while his eyes were staring into space, thoughts running through his mind at full speed. To be honest he was beginning to feel quite tired of his siblings' behaviors; sure he knew why they were all behaving so unwisely but that did not mean he had to accept their antics all the time.

At breakfast, Lucy had rambled non-stop about Aslan, and of how anxious she was about finding the great Lion. At the beginning even Edmund had decided to express his wish of finding the great Lion, but after a while, the topic started getting boring. They needed to find Aslan as soon as possible, period.

When they were just about to finish eating, both Peter and Caspian started mentioning many ideas for the trip. Everything had been about making sure they would always be alright, but when Caspian had informed them that he had to be back in less than three days Peter had started a whole new discussion. Truth to be told, they had not planned to return to the castle without finding Aslan first, so when Caspian pointed that out, Peter had quickly stepped in, saying that he refused to return without talking to the Great Lion first.

And of course that had resulted in a long and tiring argument between Peter and Caspian, which went on for almost an hour. That was also the reason why the group was only going to leave the castle around noon.

And then there was Susan, who was doing an awful job trying to avoid the King of Narnia. It was so terrible that it was extremely painful to watch. It was bothersome as well, because Edmund knew that his sister cared for Caspian in more ways than just one. And that was exactly why he was growing tired of watching Susan running away every time Caspian was around.

Man, why did he have to make part of such a troublesome family?

"And to think they're the ones who should be giving me the example…" Edmund mumbled to himself as he pictured Peter and Susan in his mind, and a tired sigh abandoned his lips, "I sure hope I won't end up like them when I'm their age."

"Talking to yourself is a sign that you're growing old," a voice commented suddenly, and Edmund looked to his side only to see Lucy approaching him, a smile on her face, "Or are you finally growing crazy, dear brother of mine?"

"What do you want now?" Edmund asked as he took a deep breath, but Lucy simply smiled at him before clasping her hands behind her back. Then, still with her lips curled upwards, Lucy turned her back to her brother, and started walking towards her own horse.

"You know, I'm happy to see that Susan is finally accepting the idea that we're back to Narnia." Lucy commented as she cuddled her horse's neck with gentle caresses, but Edmund simply continued to watch her, "I was beginning to worry about her behaviour. I was actually quite scared that she could end up doing something silly."

"Like what? Bang her head against the wall to see if she would wake up?" Edmund asked in a mocking tone, but Lucy simply glanced sideways at him, "It was about time she realized that this is real. She was beginning to annoy me with her denial."

"Well, even though I'm not quite sure if I understand what happened on the last time we were here, I think Susan has every right to feel confused and angry." Lucy started as she continued to cuddle her horse, "I mean; I wish she could behave more like Peter, but I know that's not possible. All I hope is that Aslan will explain what's going on to us, and let us stay here for a while."

"But you know; that doesn't really change the fact that sooner or later we will have to leave." Edmund pointed out, a frown back on his face, and this time Lucy twirled around to look at him, "I mean, we come and we leave; that's what we have been doing all this time. I just hope both Peter and Susan are aware of that."

"I don't know why, but I don't think it would be safe to tell them about that now." Lucy started cautiously, and Edmund rolled his eyes before he could stop himself from doing so, "I mean, Susan is just beginning to return to her old self. Imagine what would happen if we told her that we will have to return to England eventually."

"Good morning," a voice greeted all of a sudden, and both Edmund and Lucy stared at the entrance of the stables only to see Caspian walking towards them, a small smile on his lips, "I wasn't aware you were this eager to leave. Had you told me sooner, I would have tried to arrange things faster than usual."

"Oh that's alright, we _are_ eager to go, but we can still wait for you." Lucy answered, a wide smile gracing her features, "We couldn't possibly leave without you."

"Well, King Peter is on his way as well," Caspian explained as he looked from Lucy to Edmund, who simply looked back at him, "I believe Queen Susan is still talking to the maids, making sure we have enough provisions for the trip."

"How on earth are we supposed to know if we have enough food if we don't even know how long we'll be gone?" Edmund inquired suddenly before shrugging, "You people are so confusing. We should just leave; it's not as if there isn't any food in the forest."

"I believe Susan is making sure we eat _real_ food once in a while." a new voice stated suddenly, and everyone watched as Peter walked inside the stables, and made his way to Caspian's side, "There may be food out there, but that doesn't mean we can't eat some toasts every now and then."

"It looks as if she's trying to delay our departure, if you ask me." Edmund mumbled to himself, but he blinked when he noticed the way Peter was looking at him. Trust his older brother to even hear his muttering. "I say, one of us should go and get her; in the state she's in, she probably has no sense of orientation whatsoever."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." someone observed abruptly, and everyone watched as Susan made her way towards Peter's side, holding a basket with both her hands, "And sorry if all I want is to make sure we eat some decent food while we're gone."

"Ah, sorry," Edmund quickly mumbled under his breath, though he did not sound any sorry at all, but Susan simply stared at him one last time before turning to Peter, and raise the basket towards him.

"Do you mind carrying this for me?" she asked, and Peter blinked at her before gazing down at the basket. "With the bow and arrows on my back, it would become a bit uncomfortable to carry this around. I may carry it afterwards, when we decide to stop."

"Oh yeah, sure, no problem," Peter promptly replied before reaching out for the basket, causing Susan to smile lightly at him. When he noticed that his siblings would probably take ages to start moving, Edmund cleared his throat.

"Do you mind? We're already behind scheduled." he complained, but he mentally thanked heavens when he saw that his statement had been more than enough to bring people back to reality. However, when Edmund saw Susan practically run past Caspian without even glancing at the King, Edmund mentally sighed; something was doomed to happen on that trip. All he wished was that he would not be forced to play love counselor again.

* * *

Lucy could not help but mentally sigh when she noticed how depressing the atmosphere was becoming. She was doing her best to make her siblings and Caspian look at that trip, and see a whole new adventure, but that journey were definitely not like all the others they had had in the past. Instead of being eager and anxious to help Narnia, her siblings were behaving as if they were carrying a huge burden on their shoulders, which was feasting on their energy and sense of humor.

Edmund was, surprisingly, the only one of her siblings who still talked to her without hiding his true feelings. Sure he would occasionally grunt or scold at her, but at least he talked to her, just like Caspian. Peter chatted once in a while as well, most of the time with a small smile on his lips, but now Lucy could see whenever he was being honest with her or not.

And then there was Susan, who also participated in some of the conversations, but who still neglected Caspian the best she could. For three or four occasions, Susan had been forced to agree with Caspian on a few subjects, and that had caused her siblings to look at her, but Susan had always ignored their stares as well.

Personally, she thought that situation was extremely troublesome. Even though she was still excited about meeting Aslan again, Lucy could not help but wonder if her siblings thought the same. After all, even though she knew that Peter and Susan had to find the great Lion, Lucy was not entirely sure if they were also doing it because they wanted to.

For a moment, Lucy pictured Aslan in her mind, and the corner of her lips immediately curled upwards. She simply could not help it; every time she thought about the Lion, warmth would erupt from her heart and spread through her body in a welcoming embrace. Hope would also conquer her mind, and by now Lucy was already imagining how her meeting with Aslan would be.

All she hoped was that they would indeed find Aslan, and that he would help them to understand what was going on.

"So, what do you plan to do about Narnia?" Peter inquired suddenly, and Lucy looked over her shoulder only to see her older brother staring at Caspian, "You said you needed to return to the castle in three days; you must be planning something."

"Actually, yes, I am." Caspian started with a short nod, "I am planning on going on a quest to the archipelago of the Lonely Islands in search of the seven lords. They sought exile in those Lands during my uncle's rule."

"Oh…" Peter breathed out; most likely for not knowing what to say, and Caspian nodded once again, "Well…that's a…interesting idea…"

"Who will take care of Narnia while you're out?" Edmund questioned as he stared at the King with attentive eyes, but Lucy failed to hear the answer as she moved her eyes to gaze at Susan, who was riding next to her.

Before their first trip to Narnia, Lucy had thought that her sister was becoming quite boring. Not only that, but Lucy had also felt as if they were growing apart as well. Thankfully, during their first stay in Narnia, they started taking care of their bond, and by the end of their adventure, Lucy could proudly announce that she and Susan had grown closer again.

Their connection increased even more during their second trip to Narnia, although there had been moments during which Lucy had not understood Susan's actions. However, everything had gone down the drain after their returned to England. Susan's sudden passion for parties and gossip had been foreign for Lucy, who simply could not comprehend her sister's choices and behaviour.

And now Lucy had the possibility to observe a whole new side of her sister; a melancholic, sad, and depressing side that she simply did not like.

"Susan…" Lucy called out before she could stop herself, and slowly her older sister raised her eyes to look at her. When their eyes met, Lucy found words vanishing from her mind, and because of that she simply decided to smile at her sister. "Everything is going to be alright."

"Oh, don't you worry about me, I'm alright." Susan replied in a tranquil tone, and Lucy could not help but blink when her sister unexpectedly smiled at her. "Besides, I'm supposed to be the oldest here, so don't you start behaving all grown-up on me."

"Well, it's not as if you can blame me for being worried." Lucy contradicted, but Susan simply continued smiling faintly at her, "Don't you go off thinking I haven't noticed the way you've been behaving. I mean, even Edmund noticed."

"Lucy, seriously, I'm fine, stop worrying." Susan repeated, a bit stronger than before, and Lucy sighed before nodding. She was just about to look at the path ahead when Susan continued, "It's just that we're not like you, so some of us require some time to get used to things."

"But still, why can't you be happy for being back?" Lucy inquired as she looked at her sister again, and then she lowered her voice, "I thought you'd be happy because…well, you know…" Lucy glanced behind her at Caspian before focusing her attention on Susan again, "Because of him."

"Just try to find Aslan, Lucy, and everything will be fine." Susan informed, the tone of her voice indicating that it was time to stop talking, and Lucy nodded not knowing what else she was supposed to do.

"Hey, look!" Edmund exclaimed unexpectedly, and Lucy blinked when she spotted a familiar face emerging from behind a tree. Without even bothering to speak, Lucy immediately pulled the reigns before jumping off her horse, and run as fast as she could towards what she had spotted.

"Lucy!" Susan called out before jumping off the saddle as well; Peter, Edmund and Caspian mimicking her actions in silence, but the youngest Pevensie sibling did not stop. Instead, when she was in reach, Lucy practically threw herself at her friend.

"Trumpkin!"

* * *

Mist was consuming the forest as it advanced forward, towards the unknown. Darkness was still creeping from the horizon, conquering every life it touched while the moon stood immobile, watching as the night cuddled the sleeping earth. Everything was perfectly still; it seemed as if time had stopped only to give the opportunity for mist to rule the world.

Slowly, and with hesitant steps, a silhouette emerged from the trees, walking cautiously through the uneven ground. The temperature was growing colder as the quietness proceeded, but the silhouette continued walking forward, occasionally looking backwards, behaving as if something was supposed to reveal itself from the shadows.

For a long time there was only the silence, and the serenity offered by night.

"_It is sad, is it not? To feel nothing but loneliness?"_

The silhouette gave one small jump backwards in surprise, one pair of anxious eyes gazing everywhere in an attempt to spot the source of those words. The voice was smooth, enchanting, and yet it appeared to hold a speck of solitude and melancholy.

"_Is it not horrifying when one feels entirely out of place?"_

Uneven breaths started having form by becoming warmth balls against the freezing mist. A pair of dark orbs continued gazing around, two gelid hands clasped against one another in a desperate attempt to keep the slightly bluish fingers warm.

"_Is it not devastating to know that we're unwanted?"_

Suddenly, the silhouette spun around, and a pair of eyes widened in horror at the sight ahead. In the middle of the trees, entangled in each other's arms, were non-other than Queen Susan, the Gentle, and King Caspian, the Tenth, kissing intensely and passionately.

A small gasp abandoned a pair of tremulous lips at same time a figure sat up straight on a bed. The warm cover had a long time ago been thrown to the side so that nothing was covering the trembling silhouette. Only the moon was gracing the room with its silver moonbeams, but the deafening silence was broken when a sob echoed within the cold walls.

Then, the same captivating yet depressing voice was heard again.

"_Is it not heartbreaking when one finds out that the person she loves loves someone else?"_

**To Be Continued…**


	6. Under the Stars We Hush

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. I simply decided to twist this fantastic world by adding some of my characters in order to create my own plot.

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I want to thank **zanessa229-6968**, **Shining Friendship**, **mae-E**_and_ **enjoylife1994** for all of your help and support. I was actually quite surprised to know that all of you enjoyed the last (and apparently confusing) scene described in chapter 4. I was a bit reluctant when I wrote it, but now I cannot help but think that perhaps things will work. Thank you so much for all of your support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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**Chapter 5**

_Under the Stars We Hush_

A smile graced Peter's face as he watched Lucy and Trumpkin talking. Well, it was more like Lucy was rambling while all Trumpkin did was nod and hum once-in-a-while. Edmund was looking rather bored, his arms crossed against his chest while his eyes were focused on some random rock not too far from him.

Susan, on the other hand, was sitting all by herself under a tree, staring at the blazing stars above. She had a somewhat content expression on her face, but for some reason Peter could not help but sense that all Susan was doing was trying to show others that she was alright. Even though it was clear to him that she was not.

Then there was Caspian, who was busy watching over the fire they had created as soon as the sun had started setting. Even though they had planned to continue with their journey, all the monarchs found it impossible to do so as soon as Lucy had sat down with Trumpkin, practically begging for the dwarf to tell her about what had happened ever since they had left Narnia.

With the smile still on his face, Peter decided to lay down on his back, hands behind his head. His eyes quickly found the brilliant moon, and for a moment, Peter just stared at it, allowing himself to be enchanted by the exquisiteness of the night. However, when he was just about to close his eyes, and take profit of one minute of silence Lucy's laughter brought him back to reality.

With a sigh, Peter resigned to the fact that he had yet to reach the moment during which he would be allowed to rest. Without making any sound, he sat up straight before gazing at Caspian only to blink when he noticed that the King was staring directly at Susan, who was still stargazing.

Peter lost track of the time he lost observing Caspian and Susan, but truth was that he seriously could not blame his sister. He could not lie, and say that he was not happy for being back to Narnia, but he could not ignore the fact that he was aware of what that return meant. And Peter knew that Susan was thinking about the consequences of that adventure as well.

"Well, this day was a complete waste of time." Edmund grunted suddenly, and Lucy immediately stopped laughing as everyone turned to the once named Just, "And to think you forced me to wake up before dawn just for this. Next time you are on your own."

"Aw don't be like that, Ed; what would happen to us without your always so joyful personality?" Peter inquired, but his brother simply glared at him since he had noticed the hint of irony in that question, "Besides, this wasn't exactly an entirely lost day; we got to meet with an old friend."

"It's not as if I asked you to stay." Trumpkin mumbled under his breath, but he glanced up when he noticed that Lucy was staring inquisitively at him. Without having to think twice about what to do, Trumpkin quickly looked away, causing Lucy to smile faintly at his antics.

"Not to mention we can always go to sleep now, and wake up before dawn again tomorrow." Peter continued, only to smirk when he noticed the murderous look on Edmund's face. Then, Peter shrugged, "Actually, that's exactly what we're going to do. Let's go rest so that we may continue our quest tomorrow without any trouble."

"Yay…" Edmund growled sarcastically, but before someone could say something, he laid down on the ground, his back turned to the fire. For a moment, everyone just stared at his back before glancing at each others.

"Well, I guess that's the wisest thing to do." Susan spoke up, and everyone turned to her before nodding in silent agreement.

Without wasting too much time, everyone scattered around the fire, making sure to stay close just in case some surprise decided to emerge from the shadows during the night. It did not take long for the wood cracking under the power of the flames to be the only thing echoing through the shadows, but that changed when a pair of eyelids fluttered open.

For a short period of time nothing happened until Susan sat down on the ground, quietly in order not to make any sort of noise. Quickly, she gazed at her companions, only to notice that they were all indeed asleep. However, before Susan could stop herself, her eyes fell on Caspian's back, and stayed there.

He had not changed one bit. He looked strong, handsome and gentle just like on the last day she had seen him. And no matter how hard she tried to behave as if that did not have any sort of affect on her, the truth was that it did. How could it not? No matter how hard Susan tried to ignore it, Caspian was still extremely attractive on the outside as much as he was on the inside.

'_Stop it!' _Susan yelled in her mind, and even though it was harder than she had first though, she finally managed to look away from the King of Narnia. Then, she stood up, trying the best she could not to make any sort of noise.

After glancing one last time at her siblings, Susan turned around on her heels, and made her way towards a more secluded area. When she was finally all by herself, Susan found a nice spot under a pine-tree, and she quickly lay down on the grass before staring at the starry sky.

No matter how hard she tried, she simply could not forget her last experience in Narnia. No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, Susan simply could not forget the way she had felt when she had first seen Caspian.

And no matter how hard she tried to forget about it, Susan simply could not help but feel her heart skip a beat every time she noticed Caspian observing her. She had been completely aware of his gaze on her during the time he had been watching over the fire, and truth to be told she loved that attention as much as she despised it.

She had always been a loner. In fact, for a long time Susan had found boys and gossip utterly boring topics, but all of that had changed after she had left Narnia. In fact, her interest in futile things had emerged through a commitment; Susan had actually obligated herself to start getting interested in such topics.

Even though her rational side had told her many, many times that behaving like a superficial girl would never change a thing; Susan managed to learn how to bury that voice in the depths of her soul. And as soon as that voice disappeared, Susan allowed her shallow side to take over.

At the beginning, everything had been bizarre to her, but as days rolled by, Susan found her antics become more and more natural. In fact, it had become so natural for her that Susan would sporadically fear that side of her.

But now Susan could not help but feel as if all of her efforts had been in vain. All of her vanity and superficiality had faded away as soon as she had been forced to admit that perhaps she was indeed back to Narnia. True, she had yet to understand why Aslan had changed his mind, but still that did not change the fact that she was indeed back to the dream she had tried so hard to forget.

Before Susan knew what she was doing, she found herself locking her eyes with one star in particular, and her lips curled upwards.

"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might. Have the wish I wish tonight."

"May I inquire what you wished for?" a voice asked suddenly, and Susan felt her limbs freeze at the Hispanic accent. Oh dear lord, why him of all people? Susan would even prefer to deal with ten bad tempered Edmunds to actually deal with him.

Instead of answering, Susan decided to sit up straight, her eyes no longer focused on the stars. Instead, she had lowered them as she stared at some random spot in front of her, but her limbs grew stiff when she felt a body occupying the space next to her.

"I understand if you decide not to tell me what you wished for, but may I at least tell you what I wished for?" Caspian inquired as he rested his elbow on his right knee, but Susan continued staring at the grass in front of her while the King looked away from her to gaze at the stars, "I wished that I had had the courage to blow the horn a long time ago."

At those words, Susan took a deep breath, but she still managed to keep her eyes locked with the grass. Even though she wanted to glance at him, the truth was that her rational side did not permit her to do so. It was just…impossible.

"But the truth is that, for some reason, when I saw you and your siblings at the forest," Caspian continued, and Susan involuntarily licked her lips in anticipation, "I couldn't help but feel as if decades had passed ever since we had last seen each other. It was a somewhat…morose yet content feeling."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Susan replied as she glanced sideways at him, but she managed to stop herself from looking at Caspian in the eye by focusing her attention on his knee, "Besides, it doesn't matter anymore. All we need to do is to figure out what's going on, and end this once and for all."

"I simply do not understand one thing," Caspian continued, almost as if he had not heard one single word Susan had uttered, and the girl gazed at the grass in front of her again, "High King Peter told me that you were finally admitting to yourself that you are indeed in Narnia, and yet you refuse to even look at me. May I ask why? Are you angry because I wasn't the one who called you back?"

"Peter tends to speak about what he doesn't understand, so please, stop asking him things about me." Susan instructed, a bit too harshly, but at the moment the girl decided that she simply did not care, "As for me finally accepting that I'm back to Narnia…I'm sure you understand why I'm so reluctant to believe this is something else other than a dream."

"It's because the Great Lion told you that you were never to return to Narnia." Caspian pointed out, and Susan mentally sighed at his straightforward sentence. "But still, don't you think you should be taking profit of the fact that you're indeed back? High King Peter seems to be enjoying this unexpected opportunity."

"Peter and I have little things in common," Susan declared as she turned her head to look at Caspian, but as soon as she realized what she was doing, Susan locked her eyes with the King's upper-arm. "I'm sure you have noticed that the Pevensie siblings are completely different from each others, and therefore we react differently when facing the same situation."

"Then, I take it that it would be impossible for you to look at me even if I asked you to do so?" Caspian inquired, and Susan felt her breath get stuck on her throat at the question, but she still kept her eyes locked with the young man's arm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be discourteous."

"Rudeness has nothing to do with this." Susan corrected before she could restrain herself, and she promptly looked away, "You must understand that I was finally learning how to live my life without thinking about a possible return to Narnia. In fact, I was doing just fine until I suddenly found myself lying on a flowerbed with Lucy screaming that we were back."

"Do you…regret being here?" Caspian asked suddenly, and Susan glanced at the stars above before chewing on her lower lip. Heavens, why did things have to be so complicated? "Then…may I ask for you to look at me just once?"

"Caspian…" Susan heard herself call out before she could stop herself at same time she turned her head to him, but she still managed to keep her eyes locked with the King's chest, "I have already told you, things aren't that easy. You can't just go on pretending that everything is fine, and that we're going to stay here forever."

"I'm not asking for you to pretend you're never going to leave, but don't you think you should at least admit to yourself that you are indeed back?" Caspian asked almost as if he had been expecting for her to utter those exact words, and Susan closed her eyes in a desperate attempt to stop herself from gazing at Caspian in the eye. "Don't you think you should at least try to talk to me?"

"Caspian, I—"

"_Susan!"_

At her name, Susan opened her eyes, and stared ahead only to see Lucy emerging from behind a tree, running as fast as her long dress allowed her to. In a matter of seconds, Lucy was standing in front of her oldest sister, looking extremely excited and in her highest spirits.

"Susan, I saw him!"

Susan's heart skipped a beat at those words, and the once named Gentle was on her feet in a matter of seconds. Despite of everything, Susan could see in Lucy's eyes that she was truly speaking the truth, and even though she knew that was probably not the best time to do so, Susan allowed the corner of her lips to curl upwards in a relieved smile.

"You saw him?" Susan repeated, and when Lucy nodded, she rested her hands on her sister's shoulders, "Where? Did he talk to you? Did you tell the others?"

"I saw him in a dream!" Lucy exclaimed eagerly before glancing at Caspian, but she quickly turned to Susan again, "He told me we have to return to the castle. He said that we'll find what we're looking for there."

"Return to the castle?" Susan repeated, her smile vanishing as confused thoughts started consuming her mind, "Lucy, I…I really want to believe in you, but we just left the castle. I don't think we're going to find Aslan there."

"Are you saying you don't believe in me?" Lucy inquired, but Susan quickly shook her head, her hands still resting on her younger sister's shoulders. "I did see him. The castle also appeared in my dreams, and Aslan did tell me that our answers will be found at the castle."

"I did a grave mistake when I decided not to trust in you last time we were here," Susan confessed, ignoring the way her skin was tingling since Caspian was now standing behind her, "But…are you sure we have to return?"

"Yes!" Lucy exclaimed, now looking somewhat anxious, "Please, Susan, I know what I saw! And I know Aslan was telling us to go to the castle!"

"If I may," Caspian spoke up unexpectedly, but Susan simply froze for a second before dropping her arms, and move to the side while Caspian approached Lucy, "if you say that we must go back, then we shall go back. But do you think the Great Lion would be angry if we only depart tomorrow morning? You see, I do not know if it is wise to wake the others at this hour."

"Indeed, Edmund was quite cranky before he went to rest, so imagine his humour if we decided to wake him up at this hour." Susan commented, mentally deciding that she was not agreeing with Caspian, but simply stating a point. Then, she smiled at Lucy, "Do you think you can wait until the morning?"

"I guess it wouldn't hurt." Lucy answered with a light shrug, and Susan smiled widely at her before resting a hand on her sister's shoulder, "So, shall we go sleep as well? I mean, having one cranky sibling is already more than enough. Especially when that sibling is Edmund."

"Are you calling me cranky?" Susan inquired as she raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but Lucy simply shrugged before smiling widely at her.

"If the shoe fits…" she trailed off, but Lucy let out a small shriek when she understood what Susan was about to do. Then, without even wishing Caspian a good night, Lucy turned around, and started running as fast as she could towards the camp, Susan hot on her heels.

Needless to say that as soon as the two girls reached the camp, sleep was the last thing on everybody's minds.

* * *

The stars were already fading in the dark heavens above as colours gradually conquered the horizon. Shades of pink, purple, and navy blue were silently bringing life back to the still drowsy earth, and a few birds could already be heard chirping or seen crossing the skies. A chilly breeze suddenly blew from north, carrying a few green leaves with it until it started combing long brown curls. A pair of hazel eyes was observing the heavens for a long time before focusing on the four statues of the Kings and Queens of Old.

There was only one flaw in that gorgeous dawn; the single imperfection that was loneliness. It was true that birds were welcoming the first sunrays with high chirps, but the flicker of solitude was still present.

As a chill run up her spine, Eilidh crossed her arms against her chest in an attempt to keep herself warm. Since all she had wanted was to escape from her bedchamber as quickly as possible, she had forgotten to bring a shawl.

As she reached out to pull a lock of hair away from her eyes, Eilidh gazed at Queen Susan's sculpture. Even though she had been feeling rather tranquil until that moment, Eilidh now felt as if two strong hands were squeezing her heart while her breathing started coming out quickly and unevenly. A wave of unhappiness started creeping from the bottom of her soul, and a sense of despair almost took over her.

Blinking, Eilidh tried to keep her eyes dried of all tears that had begun to blurry her vision. She simply could not understand what was going on with her.

"Who goes there?"

Eilidh blinked her eyes quickly once again when that question reached her ears at same time she turned her head to her side. For a moment she just stared at the newcomer as she continued sitting on the stoned bench, in front of the four statues.

"Oh, my lady, my apologies; I did not know that it was you who was here."

"Good morning, Reepicheep." Eilidh greeted with a small smile, and she dropped her arms so that her hands were now resting on her lap, "Are you making your rounds?"

"Why yes, that I am." Reepicheep replied after bowing in respect, and then he sheathed his little sword, "I shall inform my fellow mice that you are wandering through the private grounds. But, if I may ask, why are you unaided?"

"I couldn't sleep, and the maids deserve to rest," Eilidh explained, and Reepicheep entitled his head slightly to the side, "But I can return to my bedchambers. I do not wish to cause you any sort of troubles."

"Absolutely not; I was just thinking that my lady would be better if someone was here with you." Reepicheep promptly clarified, and Eilidh found it impossible not to smile at the mouse's antics, "Why don't you request for the female centaurs' company? I am confident they would be pleased to spend some time with you."

"I guess I prefer to be alone at the moment." Eilidh decided to confess with a small sigh, "But please, return to your post. Like I said, I do not wish to cause you any sort of troubles."

"It is only due to the task I have at hand that I will depart." Reepicheep started, unconsciously grabbing his sword, and Eilidh shifted a bit backwards as the mouse started waving the weapon around, "Yes, because my chivalry certainly compels me to stay with you."

"Perhaps some other time," Eilidh said, and Reepicheep immediately stood up straight before bowing in respect.

"Please, my lady, next time do not wander through the private grounds all by yourself, especially at this hour." Reepicheep requested as he looked at Eilidh again, "I am sure that King Caspian would not be fond of that."

Instead of replying, Eilidh simply smiled at the mouse as she nodded in silent agreement. After apologizing one last time for having to leave, Reepicheep bowed before turning around, and quickly disappear in the middle of the flowers.

Gradually, Eilidh's smile vanished, and the young woman gazed at the statues in front of her again. However, before a thought could cross her mind, the sound of trumpets echoed through the air. Instantaneously, Eilidh stood up from the bench, her heartbeat increasing as she heard someone yell _'The King has returned!' _from the distance.

Without thinking twice, Eilidh spun around, and forgetting all about etiquette, she started walking as fast as she could towards the main doors of the castle. The feeling that was driving her was foreign yet strangely familiar, and could only be described as the one wives feel when they find out that their husbands are returning from war.

But…how could she know that anyway?

"The King has returned!" a soldier pronounced in a very high tone right when Eilidh stepped inside the main hall, in time to see the massive front doors being opened.

It was almost in slow motion that Eilidh watched as Caspian walked inside the castle, the Pevensie siblings following him closely except for Lucy who was at the back, walking beside Trumpkin. Before she could stop herself, Eilidh shifted closer to a column, concealing herself in the shadows the best she could.

"C'mon Ed, you can't possibly still be mad." Peter commented as he walked right past Eilidh, but ignoring her completely since he had been staring at his brother the entire time. Both Caspian and Susan were on Edmund's other side, looking ahead, but walking rather close to one another, possibly for not even noticing how close they truly were.

"Oh Trumpkin, I didn't know you had been named Lord Regent of Narnia!" Lucy excitedly exclaimed, but Eilidh only abandoned her hiding place when the newcomers were climbing the stairs.

Without even noticing, Eilidh gazed at Caspian and Susan's backs. Then, a faint voice echoed in her mind.

"_Is it not terrible when one finds out that she has been forgotten?"_

**To Be Continued…**


	7. Waltz of Roses

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. I simply decided to twist this fantastic world by adding some of my characters in order to create my own plot.

* * *

I want to thank **diva.divine**, **SmLTwNGrL06**, **mae-E** _and_ **readergirl828** for all of your support. I know this chapter came rather swiftly, but this will be the last quick update. The next one will (probably) come out by the end of the week. Up until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and allow me to remind you that constructive criticism is always welcomed. Oh, and I know that there are a few scenes in this story that may be confusing (such as the time line of the story), but please, allow the plot to develop, and hopefully all of your questions will find the correct answers soon. Thank you for the attention!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Waltz of Roses_

Since not may were aware of how anxious the Kings and Queens of Old were about finding Aslan, it did not take long for a ball to be prepared in their honour. And even though at the beginning they had been reluctant about going, the Pevensie siblings ended up accepting the invitation. The ball was in their honour after all.

"Oh Susan, look at this!" Lucy exclaimed in awe as she hold her gown against her chest. A wide smile was gracing her face, and when Susan glanced at her sister, she found it impossible not to smile as well.

"It is indeed very attractive," Susan agreed before reaching out for Lucy's dress, "It's a nice shade of pink. It goes well with your rosy cheeks."

"Yours is very pretty as well," Lucy giggled as she glanced at the forest green gown that was resting on her bed. It looked exactly like the one Susan had worn before they had left Narnia with the exception of the colours. "I'm sure you're going to look lovely in it."

"Come here," Susan instructed as she waved a hand, and Lucy put her dress on the bed before sitting down on the mattress. Silently, Susan grabbed a silver hair-brush, and started combing her younger sister's hair.

"It has been a while ever since we last did this," Lucy commented abruptly as she played with a silver butterfly that the maids had left on her bed that she could use to lock her hair with, but Susan did not reply. "I missed this."

Gently, Susan reached out for the silver butterfly, and put it on her sister's hair. Then, she rested her hands on Lucy's shoulders, silently informing her that she was finished.

"Aren't you going to get ready?" Lucy asked when she noticed that Susan was still sitting on the bed, eyes unfocused. In confusion, Lucy turned to her, "Susan?"

"I'm sorry, Lu." Susan whispered unexpectedly, and the younger girl blinked in puzzlement. Slowly, Susan turned her head to gaze at her sister, and smiled faintly at her, "This reminds me of the last time we were here. I…I was remembering how you were the first to see Aslan, and…"

There was a pause, and Susan looked down again. Since she did not know what to say, Lucy rested a hand on her sister's upper-arm, and tried to smile.

"You'll see that this time everything is going to be different." Lucy started, but Susan continued staring at her knees, "Aslan told me that things never happen the same way twice."

"That's not too comforting." Susan admitted as she laid down on the bed, on her back, Lucy following her with her eyes, "We'll still have to leave eventually."

"Why don't you think of this as a way to amend things?" Lucy inquired suddenly, and Susan sent her a confused look, "I mean, maybe Aslan is giving you the chance to learn something you didn't learn before."

"Like what? How to leave the person you like behind again?" Susan mumbled before she could stop herself, and Lucy looked down in thought before sighing.

"I think we need to trust in him." Lucy whispered before gazing at Susan in the eye. "Perhaps what you and Peter need is to learn how to believe and how to trust in Aslan."

"Sometimes I wish I could see the world the way you see it." Susan confessed suddenly, and when she noticed the confused look in Lucy's face, she smiled at her sister, "Let's get ready for the ball. It would be impolite of our part if we got delayed."

"Do I get to comb your hair?" Lucy asked as her sister sat up straight on the bed, and a warm and rich laugh abandoned Susan's lips.

"Of course."

Not many minutes later, the two girls left Lucy's bedroom only to blink in surprise when they spotted their brothers leaning against the wall, across from the door. Both were dressed in exquisite clothes, Peter in shades of navy blue and gold, and Edmund in midnight-blue and silver.

"Women…" Edmund grunted under his breath, his arms folded against his chest, and Lucy entitled her head slightly to the side at the mumbled word.

"Are you still angry?" she asked, and Edmund glared at her.

"Not everyone enjoys being woken up by a screaming girl before dawn." he complaint, and both Peter and Susan chuckled at his choice of words while Lucy giggled.

"Shall we?" Peter asked as he walked towards Susan, and offered her his arm. With a sigh, Edmund approached Lucy, and did the same.

"Both of you look gorgeous." Peter complimented as he looked from Susan to Lucy, over his shoulder. "Men better behave because I'm certain Edmund won't refuse a challenge tonight."

"Don't use me as an entertainment." Edmund growled, looking rather annoyed, but his siblings ignored his expression by laughing at his behaviour.

The rest of the walk was done mostly in silence, aside from a few comments that the siblings would do every now and then. Before they knew it, they were facing two closed doors, which were quickly opened by two guards.

"This is it," Peter whispered, and Susan glanced at him. Behind them, stood both Edmund and Lucy, waiting to walk inside the ballroom.

"Announcing! High King Peter, the Magnificent, and Queen Susan, the Gentle!"

As soon as their names were announced, both Peter and Susan stepped through the doors. Voices murmuring started echoing throughout the whole room until a voice proclaimed:

"Announcing! King Edmund, the Just, and Queen Lucy, the Valiant!"

After glancing at one another, Edmund and Lucy walked through the open doors. Unexpectedly, everyone inside the ballroom started clapping and cheering. Rose petals of all colours started falling from the ceiling over the four siblings, who simply continued smiling and waving at the crowd.

"Announcing! King Caspian, the Tenth!"

Everyone turned their heads to their sides at the pronouncement, and watched as two other doors were opened. Even from afar, all of the Pevensie siblings noticed the worried look on the King's face before it was replaced by a smile.

"We shall waste no more time," Caspian started as soon as he walked inside the ballroom, and he quickly approached Peter, who smiled at him, "As you all know, this gathering was prepared to welcome the Kings and Queens of Old, who were truly missed by all. Therefore, may the music begin!"

"Is there something wrong?" Peter inquired exactly when the orchestra started playing a melody, "Had you informed me you had no date, I would have told Susan to accompany you."

"Where's Eilidh?" Susan asked, ignoring what her brother had just said, "I thought she would be the one to accompany you to the ball."

"She was, but for some reason, she was not in her room." Caspian quickly explained, "A maid informed me that she was not feeling well, and that she required a few more minutes to get ready."

"Do you want me to go look for her?" Susan asked, but Caspian shook his head, "Lucy can come with me as well. It would not be a bother."

"Yes, it would. This ball was prepared just for you, to welcome you back to Narnia, which clearly indicates that you are the guests of honour." Caspian started, "I asked Reepicheep and Trumpkin to escort Eilidh here in case they found her."

"Are you sure…?" Lucy trailed off when Caspian suddenly glanced at her, "It's just that she may be in need of some assistance, and Susan and I—"

"I apologize for worrying you about this matter, but please, enjoy the ball." the King requested, interrupting Lucy in a polite way by raising a hand slightly in the air, "I know she is fine, so do not worry."

"Are you sure?" Peter asked, and Caspian nodded once again before telling them to enjoy the festivity. And needless to say that moments later, everyone was scattered throughout the entire ballroom.

* * *

Professor Cornelius was cautiously making his way down the hall, holding various books and parchments against his chest. Humming as he did, the small professor was doing the best he could not to drop all the objects he was holding as he made his way towards his office. However, minutes later, Professor Cornelius was forced to stop his tracks, and entitle his head slightly to the side in inquisitiveness.

Unhurriedly, he walked towards the door of his office, and raised a hand to push it forward. He was sure he had not leave it open, yet a small crack was enough to indicate him that someone had walked inside his workplace.

"Hello?" Professor Cornelius asked as he peeked inside his office, but he blinked when he spotted a young woman sitting on the step that lead to the bookshelves, reading a rather thick book, "Oh, Lady Eilidh! I thought you'd be at the party!"

"I apologize for intruding," Eilidh apologized in reply at same time she got up from the floor, her long sapphire blue dress covering her feet, but the Professor simply laughed at her apology, "I just needed…well, actually I don't know exactly what I needed, but I felt like I should to be alone, and your office…to be honest it was all I could think of."

"Well, please allow me to say that you are free to stay here for as long as you wish." Professor Cornelius answered as he walked towards his desk, and put the books and parchments down, "Did you find something that caught your interest?"

"To be honest, I never thought you had so much information about Narnia's Golden Age as you do." Eilidh confessed as she scanned the bookshelves, and Professor Cornelius watched her for a moment before smiling, "I did find a few books that caught my interest. I hope you don't mind."

"Like I said, my library is at your entire disposition." Professor Cornelius repeated, and Eilidh smiled thankfully at him before glancing down at the book she was holding, "But with your permission, I'd like to know why you decided to hide here, in my office, instead of being at the gala, enjoying your youth. I mean, I understand that you needed to be alone, but don't you think that perhaps you should try to beat that feeling by joining those who may share a few laughs with you?"

"Before I do that, I'd like to ask you something," Eilidh started, and Professor Cornelius nodded. Gently, Eilidh put the book on the desk before turning around, and walk towards the third bookshelf, and start moving a few books to the left. The Professor, who had been observing her until that moment, felt nervousness slowly conquering his body as he watched what she was doing.

Perhaps he had been foolish enough to the point where…?

"May you tell me what this is?" Eilidh asked unexpectedly, and Professor Cornelius watched as she took something wrapped in a black cloth from behind an extremely thick encyclopaedia. Gradually, Eilidh started to unwrap it, but when a flash of silver and crystal enlightened the room, Professor Cornelius finally snapped from his thoughts.

"That is a silly thing I decided to keep." the Professor started as he rushed towards Eilidh's side, and he hurriedly though adequately took the object from the young woman's hands, "I should have thrown it away, but my mind is not the same as before."

"I think it's quite lovely," Eilidh commented when the Professor turned his back to her, but he stopped his tracks at her words, "I'm sorry if I did something I wasn't supposed to do, but when I found it, half of it was unwrapped. It's a pity that the crystal is broken."

"Yes, that's a pity indeed…" Professor Cornelius whispered before putting the object on his desk, and only then did he turn around to face Eilidh again, "Now, my lady, why don't you go meet your friends? I heard you were supposed to accompany the King to the ball. I'm sure he's quite worried about you."

"I guess I should…" Eilidh whispered before clasping her hands in front of her legs, and bow slightly in respect, "Once again I'm sorry for intruding. Next time, I'll definitely ask for permission. Oh, and I guarantee you I won't touch anything again."

"No need to apologize, my lady, everything is alright." Professor Cornelius assured with a small smile, and Eilidh straightened up before smiling as well, "And I'll make sure I'll get rid of this thing as soon as I can."

At that, Eilidh nodded, for not knowing what else to do. Then, she excused herself, and Professor Cornelius silently watched as the young woman left his office, closing the door as she did. As soon as he was all alone, the Professor glanced at the object he had put on his desk, and watched as a sparkle of the purest crystal shone under the lights of the candles.

Yes, perhaps it was time to get rid of all that was connected to the darkest and coldest times of Narnia.

* * *

A small smile graced Edmund's face as he twirled his sister before pulling her gently to him again. Lucy would occasionally giggle at his antics, mostly because she could not believe that she was indeed dancing with her brother. Not too far from them were both Peter and Susan, waltzing as well while Caspian was dancing with a Telmarine woman.

Occasionally men would exchange partners as they danced, only to return to the arms of the woman they had decided to dance with moments later. Edmund and Peter had already danced with both Susan and Lucy, and were getting ready to hand their sisters to other dancers in a few moments.

"You know, it's great to see Susan laughing again," Lucy commented as Edmund rested his right hand on her shoulder blade, and continued to lead the dance. "I was becoming quite worried about her behaviour."

"She has always been the most rational of all of us, so it's obvious that it was going to take her a while to finally see that we're back to Narnia." Edmund answered as he glanced at his oldest sister, but he quickly gazed at Lucy again, "But between you and I; it's about time! I was getting sick of all the 'I need to avoid Caspian at all times because this is only a dream' thing. Why on earth do you women always have to exaggerate everything?"

"You're asking me? I'm only twelve." Lucy replied only to giggle when Edmund sighed at her reply. Then, Edmund swirled her to his left, and watched as Lucy raised a hand, and accepted the hand of the young man that was already waiting for her.

"Why, it's nice to see such a wide smile on your face, dear sister of mine." Edmund commented as he grabbed Susan's hand, and pulled her smoothly towards him. "Lucy was just telling me how annoying it was to watch you trying to ignore Caspian even when he was just two feet away from you."

"Lucy said that?" Susan asked as she raised an eyebrow, but when Edmund nodded, she took her left hand off his shoulder to smack him softly on the forehead, "Liar. Don't use our beloved sister as an excuse to express your irritation."

"You can't blame a guy from trying, can you?" Edmund asked, but instead of answering, Susan moved her head to her right. When he noticed how her smile seemed to diminish, Edmund glanced at the same direction, and blinked when he saw Caspian dancing with a young woman with curly hair. "Do you know her?"

"Yes, that's Eilidh, the girl Caspian was referring to when he arrived at the ball." Susan explained without looking away from the dancing couple, and Edmund gazed at her in confusion.

"So, is there any particular reason why you became so sad all of a sudden?" he inquired, and Susan blinked before turning to him, "I mean, Caspian told us that she wasn't feeling alright, but now that you can see that everything is obviously okay, you look…poignant?"

"I'm not depressed." Susan corrected with a small shake of her head, "And I certainly do not expect you to understand what's going on. But if you must know, yes, I am quite content to see that Eilidh is fine."

"Gee, I would have never guessed." Edmund mumbled under his breath, but when he noticed the way Susan was staring at him, he sighed, "What? It's true! I think I'm never going to understand women. One second ago you were ready to go in search for that girl, but now that she's here, dancing with Caspian, you're b—"

"I'm what?" Susan asked when Edmund stopped, a bit abruptly, but instead of answering, the young man stared at her before gazing at Caspian and Eilidh again. The two of them had shifted closer to one another as they danced, Edmund had noticed, and yet while Caspian looked extremely apprehensive, Eilidh emanated a wave of tranquillity.

"That's it, isn't it?" Edmund questioned all of a sudden as he focused his attention on Susan again, "You're jealous!"

"What?" Susan asked in disbelief, but when Edmund simply smirked at her, she shook her head. "I am so not jealous! What reason do I have to be jealous of them? They are just dancing!"

"You may try to hide it, but you certainly cannot run from this now." Edmund teased before twirling his sister around, but moments later they were back to the initial position. "You are envious of her! Well, forgive me dear sister of mine, for not being your king in shinning armour."

"Oh, will you stop it?" Susan inquired, and it was then that the song started fading away until it ended. "I'm certainly not jealous of Eilidh. I have no reason to be, nor do I wish to. We are at a party, so please, just drop it."

"I shall do what you ask, not because it was you who asked me to let it go, but because of our guests." Edmund started as he dropped his arms, "After all, I do not wish to see everyone trying to run away from here as soon as they see how bad tempered Queen Susan, the Gentle may be when angered."

"Edmund…" Susan started in a slow and dangerous tone, but her brother simply smirked at her before walking away towards a Telmarine young woman. Mechanically, Susan raised her hand so that her next partner could hold it.

"May I?"

"Yes, of course…" Susan trailed off when she turned her head around to gaze at her partner, but all words died on her lips when she noticed who was standing in front of her. Dark brown orbs quickly met hers, and Susan's heart skipped a beat.

"With your permission," Caspian whispered, but as soon as he raised his hand to grab hers, Susan pulled away before looking to her right. For a moment, Caspian just stared at her before giving one step backwards. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be improper."

"To touch you…" Susan hushed to herself at same time she rested her right hand against her chest, and covered it with her left one, "I don't think I can do that…"

"What?" Caspian asked suddenly, and Susan turned her head to him only to let out an inaudible gasp when she understood that he had heard her, "If you want, I can ask for someone else to occupy my position. I do not wish to cause you any sort of discomfort."

"No, I—"

Suddenly, a new song started, and Susan trailed off as she watched everyone return to their positions. For a moment, the King of Narnia and the Queen of Old just stared at one another, but their eye-contact was broken when Caspian gave another step backwards, and bowed.

"I shall ask for someone else to occupy my position."

As she watched Caspian turn around, his back now turned to her, Susan felt her heart tightening, and she unconsciously closed her right hand into a fist. She could not deny it; she wanted to dance with him, but in order to waltz they needed to touch, and that was something Susan was not sure she would be able to do.

After all, touching Caspian would represent her total belief that she was indeed in Narnia, and not living some sort of haunting dream.

But the question was; was she ready to give that one last step?

Suddenly, a footstep tickled her ears, and Susan snapped from her trance in time to see Caspian already walking away from her. With each new step he gave, Susan would feel her heart squeeze even harder to the point where it was becoming difficult to breathe.

That was perhaps her last chance to admit that she was not dreaming. That was perhaps her last opportunity to show to the world that she was back to Narnia as Queen Susan, the Gentle. That was perhaps…

That was perhaps her last chance to admit to herself that it was time to act before she lost something that she believed to be more precious than silver and gold.

Another footstep reached her ears, and Susan glanced to her side only to see a young man approaching her, with a small smile on his face. By now, the Queen of Old had already grown deaf to everything, and she desperately looked at the path Caspian had chosen to walk away only to see him already getting lost in the crowd of dancers.

Perhaps that was going to be her last opportunity…

As she took a deep breath, Susan clenched both her hands into tight fists, and bit her lower lip. Then, still deaf to the rest of the world, she gave one step forward.

**To Be Continued…**


	8. The Night of Miracles

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. I simply decided to twist this fantastic world by adding some of my characters in order to create my own plot.

* * *

I want to thank **Shining Friendship** and **cjay03** for your support and help. I am quite happy to know you're enjoying this story so far. However, I have a question I must ask (and please, _cjay03_ do not get mad); are you people enjoying this story? I mean, it's just that I cannot help but notice the huge discrepancy between reviews and hits. However, keep in mind that I am not complaining, I just cannot help but wonder if something's wrong…

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_The Night of Miracles_

The night was going smoothly, the dance flowing with time while people chatted and laughed. Among those who were enjoying the gathering, was Peter Pevensie, who was currently speaking with two elders while holding a glass with his right hand. Occasionally, he would look around, in search for his siblings only to focus his attention on the elders again after making sure that everything was alright.

At the moment, Edmund was preparing himself to dance with a Telmarine girl, while Lucy was trying to drag Trumpkin to the dance floor. Peter guessed that his younger sister was trying to convince the dwarf that it would be alright to dance even just once.

As for Susan…

When he spotted his sister, standing in the middle of the ballroom, Peter found it impossible not to watch as Caspian turned his back to Susan, and paused. Even from where he stood, Peter had noticed the conflicting look on his sister's face, her right hand closed into a tight fist. A young man was also approaching Susan from behind, most likely with the intension to invite her to be his partner for the following dance.

As he watched his sister staring at Caspian's back right when the King started walking away, Peter wondered about what she was going to do. It seemed as if Susan was debating about going after the King or not.

And then she gave one step forward…

"…oh look, that's the girl the whole kingdom has been talking about." Peter heard someone comment, and he tore his eyes away from Susan to gaze at the elders in front of him. Surprisingly, the couple was staring at some random point, the woman pointing in a certain direction.

Unable to control himself, Peter started turning his head to his side, in order to look the same way, and he blinked when he spotted a girl dressed in a sapphire blue gown. She was currently making her way towards a vacant chair, her long and curly brown hair reaching the middle of her back.

"Yes, I heard that some Narnians and Telmarines grew angered when they found out that Queen Susan had returned." the older man observed suddenly, and Peter looked at him in confusion. As soon as he noticed that the once High King Peter was staring at him, the man cowered a little bit. "I'm sorry your majesty, I have said too much."

"You said that people were angered by Susan's return?" Peter inquired, ignoring the man's apology, but the woman quickly stepped in, her right hand raised in the air.

"No, not at Queen Susan." she corrected, "Who could possibly held something against such a lovely Queen? My husband was referring to Lady Eilidh. Please, do not take us wrong, everyone loves Lady Eilidh, but when they found out that Queen Susan had returned to Narnia, some could not help but be angry at Lady Eilidh."

"Lady…Eilidh…" Peter repeated before glancing at the young woman he had looked at before, and noticed that she was already sitting down. Then, he turned to the couple in front of him again. "Why are people angered?"

"Well…if you allow me to say so, some people were expecting to see King Caspian marrying Queen Susan after the kiss they shared." the woman clarified, gesturing lightly as she spoke, and Peter blinked, "It's just that most people think King Caspian and Queen Susan deserve to be together."

"I see, but…that still doesn't explain why some people do not like Lady Eilidh." Peter pointed out, and the couple shared a look. Before they could say something, however, Peter raised his hand, "If you excuse me, I'd like to speak with Lady Eilidh."

"My liege…" the man called out, but Peter ignored him by turning around, and quickly made his way towards the lonely woman. Ignoring everyone who tried to talk to him as he went, Peter tried to come up with something to say until he finally reached the young woman's side.

"Excuse me…"

Unhurriedly, the girl looked up from the glass she had put on the table next to her, and raised her head only to widen her eyes in shock when she noticed who she was. Before Peter could stop her, she practically jumped off the chair, and bowed deeply.

"Good night, High King Peter, the Magnificent." she greeted still with her head down, and Peter had to control himself from smiling at her antics. "It is an honour to finally meet you in person."

"I think you could have left off the last bit." Peter pointed out slightly amused by the situation, and the girl raised her eyes to stare at him before dropping her head again, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I was told your name is Eilidh, is that correct?"

"Yes, your Highness." Eilidh answered still without raising her head, and Peter mentally chuckled at her behaviour before giving one step forward, and wordlessly he raised his hand towards her.

"Would you like to dance?"

At the question, Eilidh slowly straightened up before glancing at the hand that had been extended towards her. Then, she hesitantly gazed at Peter, who smiled warmly at her, hoping that that would be enough to make her feel less nervous in his presence. Thankfully, Eilidh ended up returning the smile, though a bit shyly, and she slowly started raising her right hand towards his.

"It would be an honour to dance with the High King of Old."

* * *

Five fingers wrapping around his elbows forced Caspian to twirl around so suddenly at same time he pulled his arm backwards that he forced the person that had been holding his elbow to fall on him. At the scent of gardenias and magnolias Caspian wrapped his arms around the person who was now resting against his chest, pulling her into a hug.

At that moment nothing matter. Not the glances that those who were surrounding them were sending on their direction, not the music… Not even the whole festivity seemed important enough to force them to fall apart.

"Are you alright?" Caspian asked in a whisper, and Susan cautiously raised her head to look at him. On the process of bumping against the King of Narnia, Susan had ended up wrapping her arms around his torso in an attempt to support herself.

Finally noticing their compromising position, Susan practically jumped off Caspian's arms, but she glanced down when she noticed that her right hand was clenching his. Silently, Caspian looked down at their entwined fingers before raising his eyes to watch as Susan observed their hands.

He seriously did not understand what was going on, but for some reason he felt as if that moment was going to be of extremely importance. Not only that, but as soon as their skin touched, Caspian had been forced to recognize that up until that moment he had never touched Susan ever since the Pevensie siblings had returned. Only once had he tried to hold her, and even then he had been forced to touch the sleeve of her dress instead of her skin.

"Susan," Caspian called out before he could restrain his lips from moving, and he tenderly increased his grip on the girl's hand, "Are you feeling alright?"

"I-I'm fine…" Susan answered, her voice coming out a faint whisper, and Caspian had troubles in hearing her due to the loud music, but it was then that Susan raised her eyes, "I just…I was just…" there was a short pause, and Susan took a deep breath, "Will you please dance with me?"

For a moment, the two young adults just stood staring at each other, people dancing around them, in complete synchronization with the music. Then, a small smile graced Caspian's face, and he raised his other hand, forcing Susan to look down at it in confusion.

"I believe I'm the one who should ask that," he commented, and Susan stared at him before allowing for a warm laugh to escape her lips before she raised her other hand as well. Silently, Caspian lead her to their spot, before motioning for her to swing backwards by pushing her left hand towards the back.

Then everything faded away until the world was only theirs.

Caspian had to admit that ever since he had been forced to watch Susan and her siblings walking away without being able to stop them from leaving, he had started to wonder how things would have turned out to be had the Pevensie siblings stayed. However, truth to be told, Caspian had yet to understand why it felt as if decades had passed ever since he had last seen Susan and the other three monarchs that once ruled Narnia.

He simply could not comprehend why he felt as if he had spent most of his life away from them.

"Are you no longer angry at me?" Caspian decided to ask as the two of them continued waltzing, their eyes locked as they danced. Susan, at the question, smiled lightly at him before shaking her head.

"I was never angry at you," she corrected him, moving forward when Caspian pulled her hand, "I just…you need to understand that it was not easy for me or for Peter to come back shortly after we were told that we would never return. I just needed to convince myself that this was not a dream."

"You were afraid that this was nothing but an illusion?" Caspian inquired, and Susan nodded before stepping to her left at same time Caspian pushed her left hand, "May I ask why?"

"You know why." Susan stated, and after a few seconds, Caspian found himself nodding in silent agreement, "I apologize for being rude to you, but I just didn't know how to deal with all this. My heart wanted me to admit that I was indeed here, in Narnia, with you…with everyone, but my mind kept telling me that it was not possible. My mind kept telling me that Aslan had told Peter and me that we were never to return to Narnia and that therefore it was impossible for us to be truly back."

"But now you have admitted that you are indeed back, yes?" Caspian inquired, and Susan waited a few seconds before nodding, and the King pulled her by her hand, "It's good to know that. I was afraid I had done something wrong."

"I'm sorry; my need to be rational all the time was what caused all this." Susan apologized, but Caspian simply smiled at her before raising their hands, indicating that she should twirl around before resuming to her initial position.

"I hope you won't find it inappropriate if I confess that I am quite pleased for finally being able to look and talk to you." Caspian commented, looking a bit shy all of a sudden, and despite of everything Susan also felt blood rushing up to her cheeks. "I was truly beginning to think you simply did not like Narnia anymore."

"I once did," Susan started, but as soon as those words escaped her lips, she stared at Caspian in the eyes, only to notice the confusion in his dark orbs, "Please, ignore what I just said. Shall we enjoy this beautiful night?"

"Unquestionably," Caspian answered before pulling Susan even closer to him, and they harmoniously danced around, eyes locked. Sporadically they would smile at each other or even whisper a few words, but all that appeared to be trivial when in comparison with their waltz.

"Oh look," Susan spoke after a long period in silence, and Caspian gazed at his side only to feel the corner of his lips curling upwards when he spotted a smiling Lucy dancing with a bored-looking Trumpkin. "Lucy actually managed to drag him to the dance floor."

"And here I was, thinking that nothing would be powerful enough to oblige Trumpkin to dance." Caspian admitted, and he focused his attention on Susan when he heard her laugh, "Queen Lucy truly resembles to a lioness sometimes."

"Don't let her hear you, or we'll never see the end of it." Susan teased, and Caspian allowed for one deep laugh to escape his lips before nodding in agreement. It was then that Susan gazed at her other side, and blinked at what she saw.

"Oh, and look over there." she informed, and Caspian glanced at the same direction only to see Edmund dancing with an elder woman while being cautious with his steps and movements. "It seems as if tonight is all about miracles."

"Indeed, I ag—" Caspian stopped abruptly when he spotted Peter dancing not too far from Edmund, with a very familiar face. "What is that?"

At his question, Susan tried to follow Caspian's gaze only to find herself staring at her older brother, who appeared to be enjoying dancing with Eilidh. For a moment, Susan just watched them before turning her head to Caspian.

"Well, it seems that they are having fun as well." Susan stated, not really understanding why Caspian's smile was fading at same time his eyes grew darker, "You know very well that Peter is a gentleman. He won't step on Eilidh's feet."

"What?" Caspian blurred out as he tore his eyes away from Peter and Eilidh, and stared confusedly at Susan, who could not help but chuckle at his behaviour. "Oh no, I am not worried about that, I just…I simply was not expecting to see the two of them dancing, that's all."

"What do you say if we stop worrying about the others, and enjoy the dance?" Susan inquired, and Caspian nodded after a few seconds. Then, as the song proceeded, so did the dance, and once again the world faded away until only King Caspian and Queen Susan, the Gentle were the only ones dancing in that huge ballroom.

* * *

Laugh was all Lucy could do as she continued dancing with Trumpkin. Well, _trying_ was the most accurate word to use actually, because Lucy was positive that what they were doing was everything except dancing. While everybody went right, they would go left. When everyone went forward, they would go backwards.

It was just too hilarious not too laugh, especially with Trumpkin looking as irritated and self-conscious as he was at the moment.

"C'mon Trumpkin, loosen up!" Lucy laughed as she raised their hands in the air in order to twirl around before returning to her initial position, but the dwarf said nothing in return. Instead, he simply continued trying to lead the dance, his eyes seldom glancing at the couples that were surrounding them in order to see if he was doing something correct or not.

"I would like to return to my seat." Trumpkin complained under his breath, but when Lucy suddenly stopped laughing, he stared at her only to sigh at the look on her face. "Oh, tubs and tortoise-shells; don't look at me like that. You know that dancing isn't my thing."

"Why didn't you say that you're not enjoying yourself?" Lucy inquired as she stopped dancing, and consequently Trumpkin was forced to do the same. "I thought you were having fun, like I was. Had you told me you were finding this bothersome, I wouldn't have forced you to come."

"Crows and crockery; don't worry about that sort of thing." Trumpkin started, still holding the girl's hands in his, "Dancing simply isn't my thing, but that doesn't mean…" a short pause, but Trumpkin looked away when he noticed Lucy's expectant expression, "Like I was saying, dancing isn't my thing, but if you're having fun then let us continue."

"We can always do something else." Lucy started, but Trumpkin simply raised their hands, silently indicating that they were to continue dancing. "We don't have to continue with this if you don't want to."

"Oh, don't you give me any other options or I _will_ change my mind." Trumpkin warned, but he allowed the corner of his lips to curl upwards when a wide smile suddenly graced Lucy's face. "But what do you say if we finish this dance, and then go for a walk?"

"Oh, I'd love that!" Lucy exclaimed animatedly, but Trumpkin simply shrugged at her antics. However, before they could continue with what they were doing, the song came to an end, and the two friends stared at one another as everyone around them stopped dancing.

"Well, it seems that our dance was cut short." Trumpkin commented, and his assertion forced Lucy to start laughing at same time she nodded in concurrence. However, when Lucy was about to say something, she felt a shiver run up her spine, and immediately went silent.

As she ignored the confused look on Trumpkin's face, Lucy started glancing around, her hands gradually releasing the dwarf. Then, before Trumpkin could stop her, Lucy turned to one of the balconies of the ballroom, and rushed to the one that was closer to her position.

"Oh, beards and bedsteads. What happened now?" Trumpkin asked to himself before rushing after Lucy, who had already stepped out of the ballroom and into the balcony.

"Can you hear it?" Lucy asked as soon as Trumpkin appeared beside her, her eyes locked with the trees in front of them, but the dwarf simply sent her a confused look. "It's a deep growl…" abruptly Lucy turned to Trumpkin, her face brightened up by a wide smile, "Its Aslan!"

"Can you see him?" Trumpkin asked, but instead of answering, Lucy simply rested her hands on the railing before closing her eyes. Then, a strong wind suddenly blew from north, caressing her long hair, and carrying a deep voice with it.

_"There are questions in this world with answers, and there are answers in this world with questions, but there are questions without answers, and answers without questions. It is our job to find these questions and answers."_

**To Be Continued…**


	9. Cracked Crystallized Bonds

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. I simply decided to twist this fantastic world by adding some of my characters in order to create my own plot. Therefore, aside from my characters and the plot, I own nothing.

* * *

I want to thank **SmLTwNGrL06**, **Angleico3156789**, **zanessa229-6968** _and_ **mae-E**. Thank you for giving me a chance to continue writing this. I am aware that most of you do not like Eilidh that much, but hopefully you will change your mind later on. Thank you for your constant support, and I hope I won't disappoint you.

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**Chapter 8**

_Cracked Crystallized Bonds_

Quietly, and somewhat wobbly, she walked through the open doors, and the moonlight immediately fell upon her skin at same time she glanced at the stars. Her eyes gazed at moon moments later, and unconsciously she increased her grip on the object she was holding.

Her whole body was throbbing, but for some reason what was hurting her the most was her heart. It was almost as if something that she loved had been practically ripped from her hands, and taken to a place that she could not reach.

"One of the miracles of love," she heard herself say as she continued staring at the stars, "It gives a power of seeing through its own enchantments and yet not being disenchanted. And, no matter what others say, you are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."

As she took a deep breath, she looked down at what she was holding, and found herself staring at a gorgeous ivory horn that she quickly pressed against her chest, and only then did she close her eyes. The tip of her right hand fingers started caressing the smooth surface of the horn in light circles, and the corner of her lips gradually curled upwards into a smile.

"Aslan, I do not know if you will hear this prayer when so many others are requesting for support and help," she started, once again raising her eyes so that she could stare at the sky, "But please, allow me to say this; allow him to experience the happiness I was unable to offer him."

Carefully, she raised the horn up to her lips, her smile never quivering as she felt as if her mind was trying to recall something. A blurred image of someone emerged from the back of her mind, but all she could make out of it was that it was a person what she was trying to remember.

And then, her voice echoed through the darkness once again.

"Allow him to live the dream he tries to hard to forget."

"How precious." a smooth and tranquil voice spoke suddenly, and she felt a shiver run down her spine at same time she rested the horn against her chest. Hesitantly, she twirled around, and her eyes widened in surprise at what she saw.

Floating in the air was what could only be described as the most dazzling woman she had ever seen. She had long and bright blonde hair, so pure and perfect that it seemed to be silver under the light of the moon. Her eyes, a striking shade of coal were locked with her own, reflecting power and supremacy.

The woman appeared to be indomitable and yet at same time she seemed to be incapable of harming a fly.

"Someone once said that sometimes life's greatest moments only happen in our dreams." the woman started in her controlled voice, and she felt goosebumps conquering her arms as the stranger spoke without ever breaking the eye-contact, "But the question is, do you want all this to become that? Do you want all your life to become one simple and forgetful dream?"

For some reason, she was unable to reply. She guessed that it was probably connected with the fact that she did not understand what was going on. In fact, she did not even know why she was standing on that balcony ready to blow that oh-so familiar horn…

"Tell me, do you want to be forgotten?" the woman asked all of a sudden, and she snapped from her reverie at the question. "Do you want to see the one you love forgetting you even exist all because he cannot stop thinking about the other girl?"

"Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained." she heard herself reply in a strong voice, but she felt nervousness slowly grow from the depths of her soul when the stranger started laughing.

"Foolishness, I say! I can see it in your heart, you know?" she asked, her eyes glowing with mischievousness and desire, "I can see it how much you want to make him yours. I can give him to you, you know? One 'yes' will be enough."

"No, I want him to be happy regardless if it's with me or with someone else." she retorted, and her heart skipped a beat when the stranger suddenly closed her hands into fists, a frown consuming her flawless and pale face. "All I want is for him to be happy!"

"I will have what I want!" the woman shouted before leaping towards her. When she noticed that she was about to be attacked, she did the only thing she could think of. Swiftly, she raised the horn to her lips, and the tune of the horn echoed throughout the night towards the horizon.

With a gasp, a shadow sat up straight on a bed, a hand grasping the front of the nightgown. Beads of sweat were rolling down a flushed face at same time one pair of eyes glanced everywhere, rather frenetically, almost as if the person was expecting for something to come out from the shadows.

When nothing but the moonlight continued to bless the bedroom, the silhouette fell down on the mattress again, the once frenzied eyes now locked with the stoned ceiling. Bit by bit, the ceiling started getting blurred until silver tears started rolling down a pair of rosy cheeks.

* * *

Despite of the importance of the subject, Edmund was unable to prevent a yawn from escaping his lips. Quickly he covered his opening mouth with a hand, but he still had to restrain himself from raising an arm above his head. But then again, who could blame him for his dishevelled condition? It was Lucy's fault why he did not have a good night of sleep; after all, his sister was too excited and animated to even let her siblings rest after a long social gathering.

Apparently, despite of the commotion, Lucy had been able to sense Aslan nearby. In fact, not only had she felt him, but she had heard him as well. Unfortunately, what she had heard was not enough to shed any sort of light to the enigma they had yet to solve.

What had Lucy said?

_"There are questions in this world with answers, and there are answers in this world with questions, but there are questions without answers, and answers without questions. It is our job to find these questions and answers."_

Oh yeah, that had been it.

"But Lucy, you need to understand that that doesn't explain anything." Peter started, as gently and calmly as he could, even though Edmund could see that his brother was exhausted as well. "Ever since we got here that we know that we have to find answers. We were expecting for Aslan to tell us what we need to know."

"But maybe he wants us to deal with this alone, this time." Lucy started as she gestured a little bit, but Peter simply sighed at her fervent words. "Maybe he's just giving us clues, and we're supposed to put the pieces altogether."

"Lucy, this isn't some sort of puzzle you can complete in five minutes," Edmund complained before he could stop himself, and then he rested his head on his closed right hand, "We can't just stay here, and say that there are questions out there without answers, and that there are also answers without questions. That makes no sense whatsoever."

"Besides, are you sure it was Aslan who told you that?" Susan inquired suddenly, and everyone turned to her, looking somewhat surprised at her question although no one was able to hide their tiredness. "I mean, I do not doubt you, but why didn't Aslan reveal himself when he spoke to you? Wouldn't that make more sense?"

"Some time ago, I came to the conclusion that in Narnia not many things make sense, so just give up trying to think with your head." Edmund grunted before closing his eyes for a second. However, as soon as he did so, Edmund realized that doing that was not a good idea, and he forced his eyelids to flutter open again.

"What are you saying? That we should ignore what Aslan told us?" Lucy asked as she stared at her siblings, a hint of disbelief clear in her voice, "C'mon, you know we can't do that. Every time you think we should ignore Aslan, something bad happens."

"No one is going to ignore what Aslan told you," Peter corrected before glancing at both Susan and Edmund, "We finally learnt that it's not wise to think we know everything when we obviously don't. But Lucy, you have to understand that what Aslan told you, makes no sense."

"We have been looking for answers ever since we got here." Susan continued when Peter stopped talking, and she rested her clasped hands on the round table in front of her, "Perhaps we need a few more clues before we figure out what we should do. Have you sensed Aslan again?"

"Not ever since he talked to me," Lucy answered, somewhat saddened by that fact, and when she looked down, her three siblings glanced at each others. Sighing, Edmund straightened up on his chair, and stared at Lucy again.

"Maybe we should make a list of what we want to know, and try to do something from there." he started, not really sure if he was saying the right thing, but he decided to continue anyway, "I mean, this way we'll be sure that we have all the questions we want to ask written down."

"That's silly," Susan immediately retorted, and Edmund glared at her before rolling his eyes when he noticed the look on her face. Lucy, on the other hand, glanced at Peter, who looked back at her when he sensed her gaze on him.

"Well, I must admit it's not the brightest of all plans, but I guess it won't hurt if we do it," he started rather hesitantly, but while Lucy smiled widely at him, Susan glared at her older brother. Edmund, on the contrary of his siblings, simply rested his head on his hand again, and closed his eyes.

Great, now perhaps he could get some sleep!

"Alright, Ed, we need paper."

At those words, Edmund opened his eyes only to notice that his siblings were all staring at him. With a groan, he stood up from his seat, but before he turned around, he glared at both Peter and Susan since Lucy was too energized to even acknowledge his temper.

As he mumbled all sort of things under his breath, Edmund left the room, and started making his way towards the closest office. He never understood why he was always the one who had to take care of everything. And to think Peter was actually High King Peter, the Magnificent! Bah, if it was not for King Edmund, the Just, the whole realm would have perished a long time ago!

"Please, do not apologize."

When those words reached his ears, Edmund stopped his tracks, and raised his eyes only to look right at a long marble staircase that was not too far from his position. At the bottom of the stairs was Caspian, talking to a young woman. For some reason, Edmund could not help but feel as if the two of them were having a personal conversation, but his grumping side could not help but protest by saying that personal conversations were not to be taken place in a staircase.

"I understand you missed them, and that is why I do not want you to apologize to me. Everything is alright." the woman continued, and even though his feet wanted to go forward, Edmund forced his body to stay at a halt. "Please, do not worry about me. I am fine."

"Still, I haven't been behaving properly these days." Caspian started, his expression showing his concern, "Yesterday I barely paid attention to you. I should have remembered that you are not from here and that therefore—"

"My King, please, allow me to say this." the woman interrupted in a polite way, "Everyone knows how important the Kings and Queens of Old are to you. It is not my place to take your attention away from them. I promise you that I am fine. I am not lonely. So please, do not worry about me."

"Eilidh…"

"Besides, I know how content you are for finally being able to spend some time with Queen Susan." the woman proceeded, and a small smile graced her features, "So please, instead of being wasting your time with me, go to them, and help them in their quest to find the Great Lion."

For a moment, Caspian and the young woman, Eilidh, or so Edmund presumed, just stared at each other. However, when Edmund was just about to step forward, and announce himself, Eilidh bowed in Caspian's direction.

"With your permission..."

Edmund blinked in surprise when Eilidh suddenly turned to him only to stop her tracks when their eyes meet. At the eye-contact, Edmund felt something twist inside of him, but he ignored the feeling by bowing in silent greeting. Caspian, who had noticed that Eilidh had stopped walking, turned his head around, and blinked when he noticed who was there.

"Edmund, did something happen?" Caspian inquired as he turned to the King of Old, and he walked to Eilidh's side, though the young woman kept her eyes on Edmund. "Have you and your siblings decided what to do?"

"No, actually I was told to go find some paper so that we can write some ideas down." Edmund answered before he could stop himself, his grumping side emerging as he continued standing without moving, "I believe we are waiting until Aslan talks to Lucy again before we decide what to do exactly."

"With your permission, I may ask for one of the maids to bring you some paper." Eilidh spoke unexpectedly at same time she bowed in Edmund's direction, and the King of Old had to restrain himself from slapping a hand against his forehead. Maids! Of course! Why had he not thought of that before?

"Hum…no, thanks, since I'm here I can ask a maid myself." Edmund declared, even though he mentally ached for someone to give him a hand. Drowsiness was slowly conquering his mind, and he could barely think straight!

"Then, with your permission, I'll take my leave." Eilidh commented before bowing again at Edmund, but before she left, she gazed at Caspian, and bowed one last time. Then, before someone could stop her, Eilidh turned around, and started going up the marble stairs.

"Is that Lady Eilidh?" Edmund asked when the young woman was out of hearing range, and Caspian nodded in return, causing Edmund to look to his side and whisper. "Ah, now I understand everything…"

"I would like to accompany you, but at the moment I must go reunite with Trumpkin and other Narnians." Caspian apologized, and Edmund turned to him before shrugging lightly. "However, I hope you won't mind if I show up later on, to ask about your plan."

"Sure, just don't be surprised if you find out that we don't have a plan." Edmund advised before nodding with his head, and then he made his way towards the marble stairs as well, in a quest to find a maid that could give him a hand.

Next time, he ought to tell Peter to go find paper himself.

* * *

Smoothly, Susan pressed the palm of her hands against the window-frame, and stared outside, watching as the sun set behind the tall trees. A small smile graced her features as she observed the way the sky had been painted by the fading sunrays, and listened to the silent tune of the nightfall.

As stars starting shinning in the darkening heavens, Susan glanced down at her fingers, and recalled of how she had managed to surpass her fears, and grab Caspian's elbow. It had taken all of her courage to give that first step towards acceptance, but now that she had finally decided to accept that she was indeed back, Susan could not help but feel extremely satisfied.

When her fingers had wrapped around Caspian's elbow, Susan had felt as if she had returned home. It had not been the same feeling that had run through her body when she had returned to England, but it was still a pleasant feeling that Susan wanted to hold onto no matter what.

"Daydreaming?"

At the question, Susan looked over her shoulder, the smile still gracing her pale features. Behind her, stood Peter with his hands behind his back, the corner of his lips curled upwards. He appeared to be in high spirits as well and such quickly caught Susan's attention.

"Why do you look so happy, dear brother of mine?" Susan asked with a hint of amusement in her voice, but Peter simply walked to her side before staring at the sunset. For a moment, the two siblings just stood close to the window, observing as darkness slowly subjugated all warmth left behind by the sun.

"I'm just happy to know that you have finally decided to accept reality, that's all." Peter decided to admit, and Susan tore her eyes away from the sun to look at him. Still smiling, Peter gazed back at her, "To be quite frank, we were getting quite worried about you. Caspian included."

"Yes, I know, and for that I apologize." Susan said in a quieter tone at same time she glanced down before gazing through the window again. Unconsciously, she started twiddling her fingers, "It's just that…it was hard to admit that we were indeed back. Especially since you and I both know what's going to happen in the end."

"Yes, I know." Peter agreed as he also focused his attention on the setting sun, and a sigh quickly left his lips, "But I think that right now we cannot think about how this is going to end. Now, we need to understand why we have returned, and why Aslan changed his mind."

áá"There are questions in this world with answers, and there are answers in this world with questions, but there are also questions without answers, and answers without questions." Susan started, without looking away from the trees,_ "_It is our job to find these questions and answers."

"Well, yes, but what does that mean?" Peter asked, and Susan looked down at her twiddling fingers for not knowing what to say, "Sometimes I cannot help but wish for Aslan to stop speaking in riddles, and start talking like a normal human being."

At that, Susan sent him a look, and Peter could not help but chuckle at her expression.

"Well, he's not exactly a normal lion, is he?"

"The point is that perhaps Lucy is right," Susan decided to change the topic, and she turned her back to the window in order to lean against the stoned wall, "Maybe we are supposed to figure this out all by ourselves. Last time Aslan only showed up on the last minute, so maybe he's going to do the same now."

"Well, forgive me for only wanting to decipher this as quickly as possible." Peter grunted, but when Susan sent him another look, he sighed, "I know that you've just admitted to yourself that we're in Narnia again, and I know that you want to spend some time with Caspian, but the sooner we solve this riddle, the sooner we'll—"

"Please, don't finish that sentence." Susan practically begged in a whisper, and Peter stared at her in the eye before nodding, "I understand why you're this eager, but perhaps we ought to take things slowly. I mean, all we have to keep in mind is that sooner or later we'll have to return to England, right?"

"Do you really think it will be as easy as you say?" Peter inquired, but Susan did not reply, "Perhaps we're already too late to solve all this, but the thing is…well, I don't want you to suffer again. I don't want to see you the way you were last time."

"Oh, stop behaving as if I'm made of glass." Susan complained as she turned to her brother, who simply continued observing her with attentive eyes, "Caspian and I know exactly what we're doing, which is, by the way, absolutely _nothing_. We know our limits, and I assure you that nothing is going to happen between us."

"Susan…"

"So please, do not worry about me," Susan continued, ignoring the way her brother had uttered her name, "All we have to do is to focus on the task at hand, and make sure we will able to solve this puzzle. What happens next…like many people say, only time will tell."

With those words, Susan smiled lightly at her brother before turning around, and walked away. It was only when he was alone in the meeting room that Peter turned to the window again; his shoulders slouching in weariness at same time a sigh abandoned his lungs.

"Unfortunately, people also say that some things are easier said than done."

**To Be Continued…**


	10. Smouldering Flesh, Consumed Spirit

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. I simply decided to twist this fantastic world by adding some of my characters in order to create my own plot.

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I want to thank _**Shanynde**_, _**eloquentquill**_, _**mae-E**_, _**enjoylife1994**_, _**SmLTwNGrL06**_ _and_ _**Fire Dolphin**_ for all of your support. I really hope you enjoy this chapter, although it did take me awhile to finish it. I also want to leave my thanks here to everyone who has been reading this story. Thank you everyone!

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**Chapter 9**

_Smouldering Flesh, Consumed Spirit_

"I'm sure I'll be able to find something that may help you in my library," Professor Cornelius said as he walked down the hall along with Peter, "I truly hope you find the answers your looking for, but remember that sometimes what we value the most is the hardest to get."

"Well, we hope we won't take too long to solve this puzzle." Peter answered as he crossed his arms against his chest, "I'm afraid of what may happen if this takes too long. The consequences of our return here…I fear that something bad may happen."

"Unfortunately, the path that leads to knowledge is long and bumpy," Professor Cornelius continued, and Peter turned his head to him as they walked, "However, I advise you not to worry too much about your siblings. I'm sure they will know what to do when time comes."

"Am I really that obvious?" Peter asked to himself, and Professor Cornelius decided not to reply since the King's hushed tone had been more than enough to indicate that Peter was talking to himself. "Anyway, thank you for allowing me to use your private library."

"No need to thank me, the pleasure is mine." Professor Cornelius corrected with a small shake of his head before he smiled lightly at the High King of Old. When they reached the door of his office, the Professor quickly pushed it with a hand before stepping backwards so that Peter could walk in first.

"After you," Peter instructed as he waved a hand, silently indicating that Professor Cornelius was to go first, and the older man glanced at him before bowing in respect. Then, he quickly stepped inside his workplace only to stop his tracks at what he saw.

"Oh, Lady Eilidh," Peter greeted as he appeared from behind Professor Cornelius, and the young woman that had been observing the various books displayed in the bookshelves turned to her side at the greeting.

"Oh, High King Peter!" she exclaimed in surprise, "Professor Cornelius! Good afternoon."

"I didn't know you were here," Peter commented as he glanced at the Professor's back before focusing his attention back on Eilidh again, who smiled timidly at him. "If you're busy, I can always return later."

"Oh no, my place may be small but I'm sure you two will be able to work without bumping against one another." Professor Cornelius spoke up right when Eilidh was about to part her lips, and say something, and he turned to Peter. "I'm the one who should apologize. My head is not what it used to be; I should have remembered that Lady Eilidh would be here at this hour."

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to spend some time together," Peter mumbled before he could stop himself, and he gazed at Eilidh before smiling slightly at her, "I hope you don't mind if I stay here."

"Oh, no, of course I don't mind." Eilidh answered almost immediately, her answer rather rushed, but Peter guessed that she was simply still not used to be around him. "I will stay close to the window so that you may have all the space you need."

"Now that's a gentle way of calling me fat," Peter teased, but when he noticed the embarrassed look on Eilidh's face, he chuckled. "I'm just kidding. Shall I remind you again that I do not bite?"

"I believe it is time for me to take my leave." Professor Cornelius spoke suddenly, causing the two young adults to turn to him, "Please, feel at easy to use anything that you need. If you have any doubts, just call for me."

"Thank you," both Peter and Eilidh said at same time, and the Professor smiled at them one last time before walking out of his office, closing the door silently behind him. For a moment, the two young adults just stared at the door before glancing at each other.

"So, what are you looking for?" Peter inquired, as he tried to come up with something to say before glancing down at the book that Eilidh had taken out of the bookshelf, "Narnia's Golden Age? Would you like me to tell you something about it?"

"Oh, hum…actually…" Eilidh looked down at the book she was holding, and she rested it against her chest, her movements somewhat shy and uncomfortable. "I was looking for something that could tell me about your adventures in Narnia before you and your siblings were announced as the Kings and Queens of Old."

"Before we were proclaimed Kings and Queens of Old?" Peter repeated, raising an eyebrow as he recalled those times, but he glanced at Eilidh in confusion, "There's nothing much to tell about that. We were busy fighting against Jadis, the White Witch."

"Oh…I see…" Eilidh said in a low tone, and Peter stared strangely at her. "I was told that something quite awful happened to King Edmund at that time."

"Ah, yeah, we really don't like to talk about that though." Peter replied, but when he noticed how Eilidh's face suddenly changed, he raised his hands in the air. "But don't worry, I can tell you about that time as well."

"No, no, it's alright." Eilidh replied as she raised a hand towards him, but instead of listening to her words, Peter grabbed her wrist, and lead her towards the Professor's desk. "High King Peter, seriously, you do not need to think about those times if it's too painful to do so."

"Please, sit down." Peter requested as he motioned for Eilidh to sit down on the chair, but when he noticed that she was about to protest, he continued. "It's true that it is quite wearisome to recall those memories, but they are real, and the truth is that fighting Jadis helped us all to grow up. However, I have a request."

Timidly, Eilidh gazed at his eyes, and Peter smiled faintly at her.

"Start calling me Peter, and before you try to say something, let me tell you that's an order."

* * *

It was with an excited clap with her hands that Lucy continued to cheer for her brother and Trumpkin. The two of them had decided to spar together, and they had been sword-fighting for the past twenty minutes. Both were growing tired, which was obvious by the way they were heaving and sweating, but it was evident that none of them wanted to be the first to give up.

When Edmund managed to block a swift attack, Lucy took the chance to look over her shoulder, and she bit her lower lip in excitement when she spotted Susan and Caspian not too far from them. The two of them were currently having an archery match, and by what she could see from her position, Lucy dared to say that Susan was winning.

Now if that was because she was indeed a professional in archery or because Caspian was being a gentleman, Lucy did not know, and frankly she did not want to find out. She was too thrilled about seeing her sister finally loosening up to think about other things.

"Give up?"

At the question, Lucy gazed at Edmund and Trumpkin only to blink when she noticed that her brother was resting the tip of his sword against the dwarf's neck. For what she could see, Trumpkin had most likely tripped on the rock that was resting close to his right foot, which had made him slip, and fall on his back.

"I want a rematch." Trumpkin replied after a deep sigh, and Lucy had to cover her mouth with a hand in order to conceal her amused smile. Edmund also smiled faintly at the dwarf's words before nodding in silent agreement.

Understanding that it was going to take a while for them to actually be too tired to even raise their swords, Lucy decided to lean against the tree she had chosen when she had gotten there. She could look at both her sides, and observe her siblings. However, since she knew that Susan and Caspian deserved some privacy, Lucy decided to grab the book she had brought from the castle, and start reading it.

And it only took Lucy a matter of minutes to get lost in the world of words.

"_The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a creative mind to spot wrong questions."_

"Lucy!"

Abruptly, the youngest Pevensie sibling opened her eyes only to wince when a sharp pain erupted from the left side of her neck. Blinking, Lucy started glancing around, looking a bit disoriented until her gaze fell on Susan, who was standing in front of her.

"Lucy, how many times do I have to tell you? If you want to sleep, go to your room." Susan scolded as she rested her hands on her hips, a solemn look on her face, but Lucy simply blinked in confusion. "C'mon, let's go back."

"I fell asleep?" Lucy asked as she accepted the hand Susan had extended towards her, and her sister chuckled.

"So it seems. I was about to return with Caspian when I noticed that you were here." Susan explained as she pulled her sister up before resting her arm on her side. "Apparently Edmund thought it was a good idea to let you sleep, because he left a while ago."

"Ed did what?" Lucy asked before gazing to her side, and notice that Edmund as well as Trumpkin were no longer sword-fighting. In fact, they appeared to be nowhere close to them. "I didn't even notice I had fallen asleep."

"Well, it was a warm afternoon." Susan pointed out, causing Lucy to look upwards, and notice that the sky was already darkening. "C'mon, Caspian had to go ahead because of a meeting he has to attend."

"That's strange…"

"What's strange?" Susan inquired, and Lucy turned to her before pressing her now closed book against her chest. "Caspian is the King now; you know that he must attend this sort of meetings."

"Ah no, I wasn't thinking about that." Lucy quickly said as she raised her right hand in front of her, and then she made a strange face. "It's just that I could swear I had heard Aslan, and…I think he said that _'_the uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a creative mind to spot wrong questions'."

"That sounds like something only Aslan would say." Susan commented as the two of them started making their way towards the castle. "However, that doesn't really help us understanding what's going on."

"That's true…" Lucy mumbled, still looking slightly troubled, "I guess we can always meet up with Peter and Edmund and discuss this as well. Now, since we're finally alone, I have something to ask you."

"Oh, why do I have the feeling I'm not going to like this?" Susan inquired, as she glanced at Lucy with a knowing expression on her face, but Lucy simply smiled innocently at her. "What is it this time?"

"Well, I just cannot help but notice how you and Caspian seem to have grown closer, that's all." Lucy explained with a small shrug, though her lips were still curled upwards. "And I'm quite happy for that as well. It's great to see you two getting along."

"Don't you even start thinking about things you're not supposed to think of," Susan ordered in her smooth tone, "You were all telling me that I had to get along with Caspian again, so don't throw that to my face now."

"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that." Lucy quickly corrected as she shook her head a little, "It's just…well, we've been in Narnia for two weeks, and you're finally growing closer to Caspian. I know we'll eventually have to go back to England, but I'm very happy to have my sister back."

"Lucy, don't you even dare to try to come up with some of your weird plans, you hear me?" Susan warned abruptly, and Lucy blinked at her sister's tone. "I am quite content with the way things are now, so don't you even dare to try to come up with some bizarre plan."

"Who? Me? As if I would ever think of doing something," Lucy exclaimed as she rested a hand against her chest, a somewhat hurt expression on her face, and Susan rolled her eyes. "Besides, it's just like what I said; I'm happy for having my sister back. And Peter is behaving more like himself as well, so what else could I ask for?"

"Peter is behaving more like himself?" Susan repeated as she blinked in confusion, and she then focused her attention on her younger sister. "Was there a time when he wasn't behaving like himself?"

"Oh, c'mon Susan, how could have you forgotten about the way he was acting before we came to Narnia?" Lucy inquired, as if it was the most obvious topic in the world, "He was behaving like an old man, always worrying about us, especially you, and—"

"Well, if he was behaving like an old man, then that's my fault." Susan started as she looked ahead, "After all, if I hadn't started behaving so…illogically, he would have no need to worry about us. I apologize about that."

"I guess it's alright now." Lucy stated with a small shrug, and she surprised Susan by suddenly wrapping her arms around her older sister's waist. "Do you think you'll be able to tell me a story when we go sleep?"

"I thought you were too old for bedtime stories?" Susan inquired as she raised an eyebrow in suspicion, and Lucy raised her eyes to look at her sister, her arms still locked around Susan's torso.

"Pretty please?" Lucy practically begged, and Susan had to stop herself from smiling at the cute face her sister was making. Sighing in order to mask her amusement, Susan rested a hand on Lucy's shoulder, and nodded.

* * *

The night was surprisingly cold. A bitter wind would seldom blow, rustling the trees' leaves as it went. The Last Quarter was shinning brightly on top of the clear, dark heavens, while stars could be spotted twinkling everywhere, offering a silver shade to the chilly earth.

Everyone at the castle, except for the sentinels, was already asleep. All exhausted souls were gradually getting lost in unspoken dreams, blankets sheltering their bodies from the low temperatures as time continued to roll by.

All souls were resting, except for one…

A pair of bear feet was wandering around through a rather small division, two attentive orbs glancing around, desperately trying to find a familiar object. A pair of pale hands was roaming around the place, trying to caress the oh-so forbidden texture they had touched many nights ago.

The sentinels that had found her wandering around through the castle had simply requested for her to return to her bedroom as soon as possible. However, truth was that she refused to go back to her bedchambers without the object she was looking for. For some reason, it felt as if that object was the only thing that would be capable of putting a stop to the torment that now haunted her every night.

In fact, that same anguish had gradually started to consume her thoughts even during the day, and now it was not rare for her to close her eyes, and find herself thinking about it. And that was why she was so anxious about finding the object she had been dreaming about for the past few nights.

"Where is it?" she asked to herself, and a strange tingling started to caress the back of her brain. For a second, she forced herself to stop moving around, and close her eyes, trying dreadfully to stop that odd sensation.

Then, for a reason she could not comprehend, she felt her body slowly turn around so that she was facing the only desk inside the division. Unconsciously, she raised her right hand forward as her feet started to move, and for a moment she could not help but feel like a puppet. The only problem was that no one was close to her to move the strings.

Feeling as if an invisible force had taken control of her body, she felt her hands moving towards the last drawer of the desk, and her fingers gently wrapped around the lock before pushing it. What she saw inside awed her. Soundlessly, she shifted closer to the drawer, her hands now resting on both sides of a dark wooden box, and took it from inside the drawer.

The lid had been embroiled with the image of four people, all of them wearing crowns. Two were male, and the two other were female, which lead her to believe that the image represented the Kings and Queens of Old. Carefully, she observed the rest of the box only to notice that the lock had the form of Queen Lucy's fire-flower, which led her to consider that whatever was inside was of great importance.

Unexpectedly, the same fuzzy feeling from before erupted from the back of her skull, making her sway a little bit as she straightened up. Quietly, she moved towards one of the closest chairs, and sat down, cautiously resting the box on her lap. Involuntarily, she rested her hands on top of the lid, and hissed when she felt the fuzzy feeling grow stronger.

But this time, along with the strange sensation, came a voice.

_Open it._

Even though she believed that the box was locked, she was proven wrong when her hands suddenly rested on the sides of the box, and opened the lid. The first thing her eyes took in was the dark shade of velvet that protected the interior of the box before her attention rested on the object that was kept safe inside.

Then, two waves of different feelings took over her. The first wave was refreshing…of pure relief for finally finding what she had been looking for. But the second wave was of hunger, which made her feel as if someone else was feasting on her discovery, but she quickly brushed that thought away.

All those nights without sleeping properly were finally getting to her.

A sudden noise echoed through the whole room, and she jumped in fright before closing the lit. Hurriedly, she stood up from the chair, and instinctively pressed the box against her chest before rushing towards the door.

Without stopping, she ran through the halls, mentally thanking heavens for having no shoes to clack against the marble floor. Although she knew what she had done was wrong, she had been unable to stop herself. The need to have what she had just found close to her had been so strong, and she knew she needed to keep it close to her if she wanted to maintain her sanity.

What she did not know, however, as she ran as fast as she could towards her bedchambers was that her flesh was slowly smouldering, and her spirit being consumed by the darkness of a shadow.

**To Be Continued…**


	11. Croon to Bewitch

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. Maresia Eterna only owns the plot and the Original Character.

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O.M.G. has it been a whole year since I last wrote a chapter for this story? I did not notice it had been so long! Does anyone even remember this?

Anyway, I am really sorry for not updating this story for such a long time; however, I will do my best to change it. I will work hard to finish this story as soon as possible, so I hope everyone will give this story a new chance.

Once again, I apologize for taking so long to update this story.

Thank you for the attention.

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**Chapter 10**

_Croon to Bewitch_

It was official; his family was utterly hopeless. And why did he think that? Oh, it was quite easy really. They were hopeless because they all failed to notice the gradual changes that were beginning to affect them as they continued to behave as if everything was all right. It was almost as if they had forgotten about what they were supposed to be doing, and had resigned to the fact that no matter what they did, nothing seemed to give them the answers they were looking for.

Lucy seemed to be enjoying being around her friends so much to the point of not wanting to ever ponder about Aslan's words. She did not do it on purpose, he knew it, but her behaviour indicated that she was growing too fond of her friends again, which indubitably was going to be troublesome in the future.

Susan, he had noticed, was completely in love with Caspian. Both of them spent every minute together only to be departed whenever Caspian's presence was required in a meeting or at night. In fact, where one of them went, the other was sure to follow, and people would frequently find them flirting and teasing each other to no end.

Peter, in his opinion, was following Susan's footsteps without even realizing it. After spending one afternoon with Eilidh at Professor's Cornelius' library, Peter would always try to find a reason to visit the young woman. They could regularly be found either at the library or at the castle's private grounds. However, for the past week Eilidh's health had started to deteriorate so it was not uncommon for Peter to go visit her in her bedchambers every day.

As for him, Edmund could hardly believe he was the one who was trying to figure out what to do next. He had actually expected for Lucy to be the one writing down everything that Aslan had told her through dreams, and yet there he was, scribbling down everything that had happened during the past month in a piece of paper.

With a grunt, Edmund looked away from Lucy, who was currently talking to Trumpkin rather animatedly, and stared down at what he had just written.

_The first time Aslan contacted Lucy he said that…_

_"There are questions in this world with answers, and there are answers in this world with questions, but there are questions without answers, and answers without questions. It is our job to find these questions and answers."_

_What sort of __questions is he referring to? And answers…we have found no answers up until this moment. Must make a list about all possible questions we'd like to ask Aslan, and study them afterwards._

_The second time Aslan contacted Lucy he said…_

"_The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a creative mind to spot wrong questions."_

_Does this mean we're asking the wrong questions? We all agreed that we ought to ask Aslan why he brought Peter and Susan back. They were not supposed to return to Narnia again, but then…what happened to change that?_

Edmund looked up from his notes when a familiar laugh reached his ears. When he spotted the source of the laughter, the young man did not even bother to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Susan and Caspian had just arrived, and were currently dismounting from their horses, Susan laughing at something the King had said.

Although he did understand why his oldest sister was happy, Edmund simply could not help but wish he did not. Sometimes he wondered if he could ever be as naïve as Lucy was when it came to love…

When he noticed that Susan and Caspian were walking to Lucy's side, Edmund focused his attention on his notes again.

_Perhaps we're supposed to come up with other questions? Are we not here to find out why Peter and Susan returned? What truly happened to force the four of us to come back? _

_What if…What if our return has something to do with what happened between Susan and Caspian? If that's the reason, then what are we supposed to search for? Are we supposed to ponder about the possibility of Susan staying in Narnia this time? That does not seem the right question to ask. Then what…?_

"May I sit down?"

Once again, Edmund was forced to abandon his meditation to look up. He mentally breathed in relief when he noticed that it had been Caspian who had approached him, and that Susan had decided to stay with Lucy and Trumpkin.

"Sure." was all the young man said in return, and Caspian smiled slightly at him before he sat next to him. "I thought you and Susan were going for a picnic this afternoon. Wasn't Peter and Eilidh supposed to accompany you?"

"Yes, but Eilidh started feeling ill again right when we were about to abandon the castle," Caspian answered with a short nod, and Edmund glanced sideways at the King only to notice the frown on his face, "The doctors do not know what is wrong with her. At the beginning all of them thought it was a cold or even some effects from stress, but after a whole week, they cannot point out what is going on."

"I take it Peter decided to stay behind?" Edmund inquired, and once again Caspian nodded. "I am sure it's nothing. It's probably the weather or something."

"Yes. I told him I'd gladly stay, but Peter was so adamant about leaving Eilidh's side, that at the end, I could only comply." Caspian explained, "I also asked for Reepicheep to stay with them. He'll inform us straight away in case something happens."

"Like I said, I'm sure it's just the weather." Edmund repeated, although he was not entirely sure about what he was supposed to say, "Besides, if Peter is with her, then Eilidh's in good hands."

"Yes, I know." was all Caspian said as he nodded slightly, and it was then that he glanced at Edmund's notes, "May I inquire what you're doing?"

"What? This?" the King of Old asked as he raised his notes, and when Caspian nodded in response, Edmund let out a sigh, "This is nothing. It's just a bunch of stuff I managed to glue together, but that still makes little to no sense to me."

"Is it about the Great Lion?" Caspian decided to ask, and it was Edmund's turn to nod.

"It's just that it looks as if everyone has forgotten about what we're supposed to be doing." the once named the Just started, and Caspian furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I mean, it's not that I'm not happy to be here, but I think we shouldn't forget that we ought to find out why we're all here."

"Are you not enjoying your sojourn here?" Caspian inquired, and Edmund let out a sigh before he stared at the King in the eye.

"That's not what I meant. Of course I love to be back to Narnia, but still that doesn't mean that I should just forget that both Peter and Susan are here as well." he responded, "And I really don't need to remind you that wasn't' supposed to happen. Aslan told Peter and Susan that they weren't going to return, and yet…"

Edmund trailed off, and glanced in direction of his older sister. Susan was currently standing next to Lucy, listening as the youngest member of the Pevensie family talked about something. After a few seconds, Edmund looked down at his notes before he gazed at Caspian again.

"Don't get me wrong; I want to see both Peter and Susan happy, but this…this is something that will eventually disappear…" the boy pointed out, "I know no one wants to think about it, but the truth is that we cannot escape from that. One day Aslan will return, and we'll have to return to our world."

"I understand your worry, and I would truly help you if I could." Caspian replied, and Edmund looked down at his notes, "But unfortunately there is not much that we can do. I believe we do have to wait for the Great Lion to appear."

"Yeah, but I really don't like it…" Edmund mumbled under his breath as he continued to inspect what he had written, and he unconsciously ran his fingers through the black words.

"_The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a creative mind to spot wrong questions."_

Wrong questions…

"Man, sometimes, I just hate puzzles…" Edmund eventually groaned, but Caspian did not say anything in return.

* * *

"So…you have yet to find the questions and answers that the Great Lion has told you about?" Eilidh inquired as she leaned against the various fluffy pillows scattered behind her on the bed, and Peter nodded. Licking her lips, Eilidh took a deep breath, "Have you ever wondered that perhaps you have been asking the wrong questions, and that, therefore, you have been looking out for the wrong answers?"

"What do you mean?" Peter asked as he puckered his eyebrows in confusion, and Eilidh took another deep breath before she snuggled against the pillows. Immediately, the High King reached out for the cover that was sheltering the young woman from the cold, and pulled it up to her shoulders.

"It's just that…you said that the Great Lion told Queen Lucy that there are questions without answers, and answers without questions…" Eilidh started after a few seconds, and Peter nodded, "And I was thinking…you and your siblings know why you're here; the Great Lion summoned you. I think you should ask yourself…about what you are supposed to do now that you're here."

"I don't think I'm following it…" Peter said, in a rather apologetic tone, and Eilidh took the chance to fill her lungs with oxygen again. From his spot on the chair next to the bed, Peter took in the way the girl's colourless skin grew even paler, her eyes dropping for a second in weariness.

"It's just that…I believe you should focus in trying to find out what you're supposed to do here, instead of trying to figure why you're here." the girl tried to explain the best way she could, "Perhaps that way you'll be able to find out what to do…in order to go back to your world…"

"Do you think if we did that then we'd manage to figure out this whole puzzle?" Peter questioned, but it was then that he saw Eilidh shudder. Immediately, he stood up from his seat, "Perhaps I should go call the doctor. You do not look well."

"No, I'm fine…" Eilidh responded as she shook her head a little, but Peter still noticed her shifting down so that the cover was now protecting her neck as well. "But you should go to your siblings. There is no need for you to stay here."

"Nonsense, it's my pleasure." Peter responded as he waved a hand in front of his face, but he continued standing next to the bed. "I have yet to finish the tale I told you about yesterday, but before I do that, I will summon the doctor."

"It's really not necessary to call him," Eilidh tried to say, but Peter silenced her by raising his hand in the air.

"I will only request for him to take a look at you. I will most likely stay here during the observation as well," Peter started only to pause for a second, and then he coughed into his hand, "If you do not mind, that is."

Eilidh simply smiled weakly at him in reply.

"Then, just stay here, and I'll be back in five minutes." Peter finished his short speech, and before Eilidh could even think of something to say, the High King turned around, and walked out of the bedroom.

Licking her lips, Eilidh was just about to grasp the cover when a new shiver ran up her spine, causing her to shudder. Groaning, the girl leaned even more against the pillows, and felt goosebumps conquer her whole skin as the temperature in the room started dropping.

Closing her eyes, Eilidh struggled to ignore the way she was trembling even though she was well protected with the cover and warm sheets. Peter had even requested for a blanket to be placed on top of the cover, but none of that seemed to be working anymore.

_One drop…_

Eilidh widened her eyes in terror when the familiar yet haunting voice echoed from around her, and she immediately started looking around. Her breathing had grown uneven almost instantaneously, and it took the girl a few seconds until she started calming down again.

Shaking her head lightly, Eilidh leaned against the pillows once more, but as soon as she closed her eyes again, the same voice emerged from the back of her mind.

_All I need is one word…_

Eilidh shuddered violently when the whispered words started tickling her ears, and she grasped her cover tightly. Quickly, she pulled it up to her face, and tried to hide herself completely as the voice continued to consume her thoughts.

_I can give him to you…_

Eilidh covered her ears as she continued shivering underneath the blankets, and she pressed her eyes shut in a desperate attempt to ignore the haunting voice. A gasp abandoned Eilidh's lips as the shivers continued rolling up her body in feral waves. The voice was serene yet cold and it seemed to reach the bottom of her very core…

_I can give you reasons for him to stay with you…_

Unconsciously, Eilidh pressed her knees against her chest, her hands still protecting her ears. It was becoming harder and harder to ignore the croon of such voice, but for some reason Eilidh felt that if she gave in to those words, then everything would be over.

_Just say yes…_

"Please, leave me alone…" Eilidh begged as she felt tears prickling her closed eyes, "Please…"

_All I need is one drop__, and one word…_

"Leave me alone!" Eilidh shouted as loud as she could, and it was then that the cover that was shielding her body was suddenly taken from top of her, and she widened her eyes in horror.

"Eilidh, what's wrong?" a worried Peter asked as he stood next to the bed, and before the brunette could think about her actions, she sat up straight on the mattress. Her arms immediately turned to the Peter, and before someone could say anything, Eilidh embraced the High King.

"Lady Eilidh!" the doctor that was standing next to Peter exclaimed in surprise, but when King of Old glanced at him, the old man quieted down, and looked away.

"_Eilidh!"_ another voice shouted from outside the bedroom, and before someone could even move an inch, Caspian stormed inside. Bullets of sweat were rolling down his tanned cheeks, his hair completely dishevelled.

The expression of distress in the King's face did not go unnoticed by anyone except by Eilidh, whose face was still pressed against Peter's torso.

"Eilidh…" Caspian said, his voice coming out above a whisper, and the girl shakily looked at him before she dropped her arms from around Peter. Before Peter could even move, the King rushed to the side of the bed at same time Susan, Lucy and Edmund appeared by the door of the bedroom.

"Eilidh, what's wrong?" Caspian asked as he sat down on the mattress, and noticed the silent tears that were rolling down the girl's pallid cheeks. "Are you all right?"

"Caspian…" was all Eilidh managed to say, and the King immediately pulled her into a tight hug. Without moving his head, Caspian glanced sideways at Peter, who simply nodded in return.

Without saying anything, Peter made his way towards his siblings, and waved a hand in front of him, motioning for them to follow him. After staring at him for a few seconds in confusion, all Pevensie siblings abandoned the room while closing the door behind them.

"Peter, what did just happen?" Susan inquired as they walked down the hallway. "We were outside when Caspian suddenly started rushing towards the castle, saying that something was wrong with Eilidh."

"Yeah, did something happen?" Edmund asked as he stared worriedly at his older brother, but all Peter did was raise a finger to his lips before he decided to lead his siblings to the backyard.

"Peter, that's enough!" Susan exclaimed as soon as they stepped outside, and everyone turned to her. "Just tell us what happened already! I never saw Caspian look so nervous before!"

"Is there anything we can do?" Lucy decided to ask, and Peter gazed at his siblings before he let out a sigh.

"There's something going on, but I have no idea what." he decided to say, and while Edmund and Lucy tilted their heads to the side in confusion, Susan continued staring at her older brother. "You see, I left Eilidh for five minutes to go look for the doctor, and when I returned to the bedroom, she was hiding underneath the covers."

"Hiding?" Edmund interrupted as he raised an eyebrow, and Peter nodded, "Of what?"

"I don't know, but when I got closer to the bed, she said 'leave me alone'." the High King continued, "And don't ask me why, but I know she wasn't saying that to me."

"Perhaps she fell asleep, and had a nightmare…" Susan said, but Peter shook his head slightly.

"I don't know what happened during those minutes I was away, but when I pulled the blankets up…" the blond stopped for a moment, and everyone waited for him to continue, "When I pulled the blankets, and saw Eilidh…her lips were blue…"

"Blue?" both Edmund and Lucy chorused, and Susan raised an eyebrow slightly in suspicion.

"What do you mean with that?" she decided to ask, and Peter shrugged.

"I can't really explain, but they were blue. The shade of blue you can only get when you're freezing." he tried to explain, and Edmund shared a look with his sisters before he looked at Peter again.

"But she was on the bed, right?" he questioned, "There was no way she would be freezing under the cover…"

"Yeah, that's why I think there's something going on…" Peter responded as he nodded lightly, and Susan tilted her head slightly to the side at same time she pondered about what had just been said.

"Then perhaps…" Susan trailed off as she thought about what she was going to say next, but when she noticed that all of her siblings were now staring at her, she decided to continue. "Lucy, do you remember what Aslan told us? That the uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a creative mind to spot wrong questions?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" Lucy inquired as she puckered her eyebrows in perplexity, and Susan stared at Peter at that confirmation.

"All we have been asking is why we were brought here." she started, "We kept trying to understand why we're here, but perhaps what we should be asking is: what are we supposed to do now that we're here?"

"You know, Eilidh said the exact same thing this afternoon…" Peter said after a short pause, and his eyes quickly found Susan's. "We should be focusing on the Five W."

"Five W?" Lucy repeated in confusion, and Edmund nodded.

"Yeah: who, what, when, where and why."

"We know the who, the when, and the where." Susan started as she rested a hand on Edmund's arm, "Aslan sent us back to Narnia exactly one year after our last trip here. And that leaves us with the what and why."

"And those will be answered by the same question," Peter continued his sister's thought, "What are we doing here and why?"

"Well, after what you just said, it seems that we're here because we're supposed to help Eilidh and Caspian." Edmund continued, "But that leaves us with the why. I mean, what's going on that forced the four of us to return?"

"Do you think something is going to happen?" Lucy asked all of a sudden, and everyone turned to her, "I mean, last time we came here, it was because Caspian had summoned us, and we ended up participating in a war."

"These are peaceful days, Lu; I doubt there's going to be a war." Susan reassured her younger sister, a small smile on her lips. "And besides, we understand more things now, so I'm sure that we'll soon figure out everything else."

"Yeah, for everybody's sake," Peter added, "But I agree with Susan; I doubt something bad is going to happen soon…"

Since everybody was too busy pondering about what had just been discovered, none of the Pevensie siblings noticed the bitter and frosty wind that suddenly blew from north…

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

I hope it was worth waiting for this chapter. I will do my best to update soon next time! Thank you for everything!


	12. The Decaying Radiance

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. _Maresia Eterna_ owns the Original Characters and the plot.

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Hello everyone! Dear me, it's been so long since I have last updated this story. Does anyone still remember it? Oh, I hope so. I really must apologize for not doing anything for the past…half year, I believe, but I am back, and hopefully I will soon finish this story.

I hope that those that still accept to follow this story will forgive me for taking so long. Thank you so much for your patience! Here's the new chapter of The Unwritten Fairytale.

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**Chapter 11**

_The Decaying Radiance_

It was freezing.

The whole bedroom appeared to be blowing an astringent wind while the sunlight seemed to freeze up everything it touched. And it was ironic that she felt that way because she knew that outside the temperature was affectionate and appealing.

The problem was that she could not longer find the strength within herself to stand up from her bed. Whenever she tried to push the blanket away she would be embraced by a draughtiness she had never felt before. Her skin would be pierced by daggers while her heartbeat would increase tenfold in a desperate attempt to force warm blood to flow through her veins.

She was constantly given warm drinks, but not even those seemed to be working anymore. Before, whenever she drank a delicious tea, she would feel the warm liquid run down her body, causing goosebumps on her skin.

Now, she did not even dare to admit that she could barely feel anything remotely warm.

Closing her eyes, she reached out for the object she kept hidden underneath her huge pillows. She could not explain why she still had it. As a matter of fact, she could hardly remember how she had found it. And yet she found it impossible to put it away. It was almost as if the broken crystal kept calling out for her…drawing her through a power that she could not see.

It was then that a melodious laughter reached her ears, and Eilidh felt tears tickling the side of her eyes. She knew that laughter extremely well, and it did not take long for a muffled male voice to echo through her empty bedchamber.

She knew she could not blame them for continuing with their lives just because she could not do the same. But still, whenever she heard Susan and Caspian's voices, she could not help but feel extremely lonely.

And it was usually on those moments that a haunting voice would ring at her ears.

_Do you want to see the one you love forgetting you even exist all because he cannot stop thinking about the other girl?_

"Please…" Eilidh whispered underneath her breath as she grabbed the broken crystal, and pressed it against her chest. "Please…go away…"

Silent tears slowly started rolling down the girl's cold cheeks, but Eilidh paid them no notice. She was already used to crying all by herself. As a matter of fact, she preferred it that way. She already hated the fact that everyone was constantly worrying about her condition. She did not want to concern them with anything else.

_Foolishness, I say! I can see it in your heart, you know? I can see it how much you want to make him yours. I can give him to you, you know? One 'yes' will be enough._

_No, I want him to be happy regardless if it's with me or with someone else. All I want is for him to be happy!_

"Caspian…" Eilidh sobbed as she finally released the crystal, and struggled to wipe her tears away. The problem was that the harder she tried to make the tears stop, the more she cried. "Oh God…"

Suddenly there was a knock on her door, and Eilidh had to stop herself from gasping. Desperately, she started running the back of her hands through her cheeks, ignoring the coldness of her fingers against her skin.

"Y-Yes?" Eilidh asked, flinching when she heard herself stuttering, and she quickly cleared her throat. As the door of her bedroom was opened, she hid the crystal underneath her pillows again before taking a deep breath.

"May I?" Peter asked as he peeked inside, and Eilidh could not help but smile sweetly at him.

"Of course…" she answered, her back resting against the pillows, and Peter smiled widely at her before he walked inside. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Shouldn't that be my line?" Peter asked back, and Eilidh chuckled lightly at his nonchalant attitude. As days rolled by, Eilidh had found herself growing closer to the High King of Old as he daily visited in her bedchambers. Most of the time, they would just talk about Narnia's Golden Age while in others Eilidh would listen to Peter as he talked about his family and his life back in England.

"Sorry…" Eilidh apologized with an embarrassed smile, but Peter dismissed her apology with a shake of his head. Calmly, he made his way towards the seat that had been neatly placed next to the bed.

"I came here to ask if you'd like to go outside." Peter explained as he rested his elbows on his knees, and Eilidh started uncertainly at him. "Last time we tried, we almost reached the door of your room. We could see until where we can go today."

"You sound as if reaching my bedroom's door is a great achievement." Eilidh mumbled before she could restrain herself, and Peter raised an eyebrow at that. "I apologize, Peter, but I think you should stop wasting your time with me."

"What are you saying?" Peter asked as he stared confusedly at her, and Eilidh looked down at her hands, folded on top of her blanket. "Is that what you've been thinking this whole time? That I've been wasting my time coming here? And what's that about you reaching the door not being an achievement? You did your best at the time, and you should be proud of it!"

"I'm sorry, it's just…" a new wave of laughter erupted from outside, and Eilidh immediately gazed at the window behind Peter. "I just feel like you may be wasting your time here, when you could be with your siblings. Yesterday you told me you have yet to figure out the purpose for your return to Narnia."

"Honestly, Eilidh, we already talked about this." Peter said, in a rather tiring manner, and the said girl was about to speak up when a sharp pain erupted from the side of her head. Cringing, Eilidh raised a hand to the side of her skull. "Are you alright?"

Peter's voice was hard to catch as a thunderous buzz gradually emerged from the back of Eilidh's mind. Letting out a small cry of pain, the girl rested both hands against her ears at same time she closed her eyes.

Eilidh barely noticed as Peter stood up from the chair while calling out for her name. The drone sound was growing louder and deafening, and before Eilidh could comprehend what was going on, a familiar voice started singing at her ears.

_Someone once said that __sometimes life's greatest moments only happen in our dreams. But the question is; do you want all this to become that? Do you want all your life to become one simple and forgetful dream?_

_Tell me, do you want to be forgotten?_ _Do you want to see the one you love forgetting you even exist all because he cannot stop thinking about the other girl?  
_

Flashes started echoing before Eilidh's closed eyes, and the girl cried out when a new pain emerged from the back of her head. She could see her…the dazzling woman that had once appeared in her dreams… Her long and bright blonde hair was billowing in the darkness while her eyes, with their striking shade of coal, were locked with her own.

Eilidh could not help but feel small and insignificant standing in front of such alluring yet intimidating being.

And it was then that Eilidh heard her own voice speak words she did not recall ever uttering.

_Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained._

"Eilidh!" a voice shouted all of a sudden, and even though Eilidh felt that the person that had called out for her was close, the voice seemed weak and faint.

_Foolishness, I say! I can see it in your heart, you know? I can see it how much you want to make him yours. I can give him to you, you know? One 'yes' will be enough._

"No!" Eilidh heard herself scream as she pushed the palm of her hands even harder against her ears. And once again, her own voice spoke words that were foreign to her.

_No, I want him to be happy regardless if it's with me or with someone else. All I want is for him to be happy!_

_I will have what I want!_

An anguished scream abandoned Eilidh's lips as the woman in the darkness leaped towards her. Jumping backwards as a reaction to what she was seeing, Eilidh widened her eyes in horror when she found herself falling.

"Eilidh!"

Completely oblivious of the tears that were rolling down her cheeks, the girl frantically looked around before her brain finally realized that she had stumbled down her bed. And it was only then that she realized that a pair of strong arms was keeping her from falling onto the ground.

"Caspian!" Eilidh gasped when she recognized the person that was holding her, and she tried to raise her arms. Unfortunately, she was shaking so hard that Eilidh found it impossible even to move an inch. "What…? What happened?"

"You're not alright." was all Caspian said as he continue to hold her against his chest before he gazed at Peter. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. We were talking, and then…something happened." Peter tried to explain. "Everything was fine, until…Eilidh, you were in pain."

"I…I don't know…" Eilidh mumbled as she turned to gaze at Peter, her head resting on Caspian's chest. "I was…We were talking, and then…"

_I will have what I want!_

"Oh God, make it stop…" Eilidh begged as the female voice echoed through her mind once more. Closing her eyes, she reached out for the front of Caspian's vest before she pressed her forehead against his shoulder. "Make it go away…"

"Make what go away?" a new voice asked, and it was only then that Eilidh realized that Susan, Edmund and Lucy were also in the room. "Can you please try to explain what happened just now?"

"I…I'm not sure…" Eilidh confessed, finally noticing that she had yet to stop crying. Taking a deep breath, she gazed at the ceiling, and tried to regain some control of herself before she started speaking again. "I never said anything before because…I thought it didn't matter, but…"

"What's wrong?" Caspian asked all of a sudden as he picked her up in bridal style. Eilidh allowed him to settle her on the bed, and sit down next to her before she gazed at the Kings and Queens of Old.

"I have been having these dreams…" Eilidh started explaining before she licked her lips in nervousness. "I don't understand their meaning, but…sometimes…a woman appears in them… A woman I never saw before…"

"Are you sure you don't know her?" Edmund asked suddenly, and everyone glared at him. "What? It's just an innocent question."

"I don't know her…" Eilidh answered him before someone could say a word. "But…she's very beautiful. She has this ethereal beauty, and…even though she looks like someone who'd never harm a fly, she emanates this power…"

"A woman?" Lucy repeats in a soft tone before she turns to Susan and Edmund. "Who do you think she can be?"

"She keeps saying…all she needs is one drop and one word…" Eilidh continued, "I have the feeling I should know what she means, but…all I can think about is that she's asking for one drop of my blood, but…that makes no sense…"

There was a moment of silence after that declaration, during which the four Pevensie siblings just stared at one another. Caspian, ignoring what was going on by the feet of the bed, reached out for Eilidh's hand, and entwined his fingers with hers.

It was only then that both Peter and Caspian widened their eyes in realization, and turned to one another. Their voices came out as one as both thought about the same thing.

"It can't be."

"What can't be?" Susan asked as she looked from Peter to Caspian, but the two young men just continued staring at each other. Caspian was the first to speak up, but it was clear that he was talking to Peter and not to everyone.

"One drop of Adam's blood…"

"Just one drop…"

"Oh no…" Edmund whispered all of a sudden, his eyes widening in horror, and both Susan and Lucy turned to him, both looking extremely confused. "But that's impossible! You know what happened last time! I destroyed the wall of ice! There's no way she could come back!"

It was only then that both Susan and Lucy understood what was going on.

"No way! That's not possible!" Susan exclaimed before she turned to Peter and Caspian, "It cannot be true!"

"But it's the only explanation." Peter quickly said, and Eilidh tiredly looked away from the siblings to gaze at Caspian. Almost as if sensing her eyes on him, the King looked back at her.

"What's going on?" Eilidh asked, and Caspian glanced at Susan before looking at the three other Pevensie siblings. Noticing the solemn expressions on their faces, Caspian turned to Eilidh again, and squeezed her hand.

"We do not understand how it can be possible, but…" Caspian paused for a moment, and Eilidh tilted her head slightly to the side. "The woman you saw in your dreams…it can only be Jadis, the White Witch."

* * *

"How can any of this be possible?"

No one answered Edmund for all of them were too worried trying to digest everything that had occurred in the past hour. After asking Eilidh to describe her dreams, everyone had been forced to admit that somehow Jadis was the one haunting the girl's dreams. The problem was that they could not find a reason for such thing to happen.

On their last trip to Narnia, Jadis had appeared because of the use of black magic. But now it made absolutely no sense. There was nothing that could be used to summon Jadis, just like there was no one to evolve such idea.

"Maybe there was something that triggered it." Peter tried to rationalize from his seat, "Maybe…maybe Eilidh saw or touched something that triggered the dreams…"

"Like what? There's nothing that could be used as a trigger." Edmund protested as he crossed his arms against his chest. "Unless Eilidh herself used magic to bring Jadis back, which I doubt…"

"Maybe this is why we came back…" Lucy said out of the blue, and her siblings turned to her. When she noticed that all eyes were on her, Lucy continued. "I mean, think about it. Maybe this is why Aslan brought us all back."

"You mean we all came back because of Eilidh?" Susan asked as she raised an eyebrow, "That doesn't seem quite logical, but…in a very twisted way, it could explain the what and the why that we have been looking for."

"We are here to help Eilidh…" Lucy voiced her thoughts with a small nod, "That's what we are doing here."

"And now we can also explain the why." Edmund continued his sisters' thoughts, "Because, for some strange reason, Eilidh is being haunted by Jadis."

"Yes, but why?" Peter asked as he rested his hands on the back of his head. "It makes no sense…"

"I'm going to check on Eilidh and Caspian." Susan spoke all of a sudden, and everyone turned to her. "To see if they managed to figure out how this whole thing started. I'll be right back."

Hastily, Susan made her way out of the conference room into the hallway. It did not take long for her to step into the corridor that would lead to Eilidh's bedroom, but before she could give another step, a door was opened, and Caspian stepped into the hallway.

"Caspian!" Susan called out before she practically ran to the King's side, silently noticing the exhausted mask on his face. "What's wrong? How's Eilidh?"

"She finally fell asleep." Caspian answered as he closed the door behind him, "I asked for the doctor to come check on her, but it seems he does not know what's wrong. He even dared to say it seemed as if someone had cast a spell on Eilidh."

"Oh Caspian…" Susan whispered, and she unconsciously reached out for his hands. Mechanically, she entwined her fingers with his before squeezing his hands softly. "Everything's going to be alright. You'll see…"

"She's getting weaker, Susan…" Caspian started as he gazed at the closed door behind him, and Susan looked sadly at him. "I just…wish I could do something for her…"

"You already are." Susan spoke up when the King trailed off. "You're looking for whatever that may have caused this. It's a start, and we all know it, so don't worry, alright? And remember that you're not alone."

"I believe I never had the chance to say this, but thank you, Susan." Caspian started after a few seconds in silence, and the Queen of Old blinked at that. "Thank you for your constant support. I do not know what I would do without your help."

"Don't be silly, you know we're all in this together." Susan started as she released one of Caspian's hands, and reached out for his face. Tenderly, she stroked his cheek, a small smile gracing her pale features. "And we're going to solve this together."

"Thank you…" Caspian whispered as he instinctively leaned his face against Susan's hand.

As Susan and Caspian made their way towards the conference room to meet up with the rest of the Pevensie siblings, Professor Cornelius was calmly walking inside his library. In his arms were various books, of all sizes, and that was why the old man gladly put them down on a desk as soon as he could.

"My, my, now I have to put all of you in your rightful places." Cornelius spoke as he stared at the books, and he calmly reached out for one. Smiling as he started his cleaning, the Professor soon found himself holding the last book he had yet to place in the bookshelves.

"Ah, my dear, you tell stories about Narnia's Golden Age." Cornelius stated as he stared at the cover of the book, and he made his way towards the desk. "I still need to study you for a while longer, so I'll put you in my drawer."

Reaching out for the last drawer, Cornelius opened it, and widened his eyes when he found it empty. Dropping the book on the floor, the Professor took the drawer from its place only to confirm that it was indeed empty.

"I was sure I left the box here…" Cornelius spoke to himself as he continued staring at the drawer, and it was then that a thought bloomed from the back of his mind. "Oh no…"

**To Be Continued…**

**

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**

Well, I do hope it was worth waiting for this. I will do my best to update this story soon! Thank you for reading this chapter!


	13. The Choice of Death

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. _Maresia Eterna_ only owns the plot and the Original Characters.

* * *

Greetings everyone! It sure has been a while, has it not? Does someone still remember this story? Well, I hope so because I am truly interested in finishing it. As a matter of fact, it will not take too long for this story finally come to an end.

I just hope it was worth waiting for this.

Thank you for the attention! I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 12**

_The Choice of Death_

Susan silently turned the doorknob, and peered inside. The sunlight was streaming in through the windows. The atmosphere inside the room was peaceful and pleasant. Outside, birds could be heard chirping.

It was indeed a perfect day.

It was just a shame not everyone could enjoy it.

Glancing at the bed in front of her, Susan soundlessly closed the door behind her, and stopped. An inaudible sigh escaped her lips as she observed Eilidh staring blankly at the window. She looked even paler under the sunlight with her hair pulled into a messy ponytail that fell down her shoulder.

As she bit her lower lip, Susan stepped away from the door, finally announcing herself without saying a word. A pair of exhausted orbs turned to face her, and Susan smiled sweetly at the girl in front of her.

"There is no need for you to spend your afternoon here." Eilidh spoke up in a rather hoarse voice, and Susan blinked at that. "I thank you for your kindness, but there really is no need for you to keep me company."

In a way, Susan understood what Eilidh was trying to do. Three weeks had passed ever since she had fallen ill. Three weeks had passed ever since Eilidh had been forced by the doctors to stay in bed. And even if the doctors had not said anything, Eilidh's body would still refuse to cooperate.

"Well, what if I enjoy keeping you company?" Susan asked as she sat down on the chair that had been neatly placed next to the bed, on Eilidh's left side. "Will you still want to kick me out of the room?"

"Susan..." Eilidh started only to stop when their eyes met. A moment of silence rolled in, and the Queen of Old tilted her head to the side. "I am sorry for asking you this, but...will you take care of Caspian for me?"

The solemn way Eilidh had made such request caused Susan's heart to skip a beat. She was serious about such request, and yet she looked so torn...so worn out. It was almost as if Eilidh was trying to make sure Caspian would be well taken care of in case something happened to her.

"_We_ will take care of him." Susan said as she shifted closer to the bed. "Don't you dare to put the entire burden on my shoulders. Yes, because you and I both know how reckless Caspian, the Tenth can be when he wants to."

"I think you'll do a very good job." Eilidh responded, almost as if she had not heard the humorous note on Susan's words. "In fact, I...I doubt anyone would be able to watch over him better than you."

"Eilidh..."

"He loves you." the other girl continued, and Susan felt all of her insides flip at such observation. "In fact, he never stopped loving you. Not even when you were away, back in England. And I know you love him as well."

"What...?"

"I'm sorry if this makes me sound weak, but I just want to make sure he's in good hands." Eilidh proceeded, and Susan once again had the distinct feeling that the girl was biding farewell. "I just want to know that you'll take care of him."

"Eilidh, what are you saying?" Susan asked as she reached out for the girl's hands, which were folded on top of the cover. A shiver run up her spine when her skin found Eilidh's; it was almost as if she was touching ice. And when she glanced down at Eilidh's hands, Susan noticed the bluish hue of her fingernails. "Are you planning on going somewhere, and leave me to deal with the boys?"

"No..." Eilidh answered before she gazed at the window behind Susan, and the Queen of Old felt her heart drop. Although they were not exactly close, it was still easy for Susan to perceive that Eilidh was giving up. After a month locked inside her own bedchambers, constantly being haunted by Jadis, Eilidh was slowly giving up.

And Susan could not help but dread the consequences of such act.

"I just don't want you to live constantly worried about me."

Susan snapped from her thoughts at that feeble confession, and when she looked at Eilidh, she noticed the girl was observing her. A frail squeeze in her hands was enough to make Susan realize that something was truly wrong.

"I just want this to be over." Eilidh continued, without ever breaking the eye-contact. "I'm just worried about what may happen when this ends."

"What do you mean?" Susan inquired, now feeling rather apprehensive about the whole conversation, and Eilidh bit her lower lip before she looked down at their joined hands.

"I feel like...on the moment I give in...Jadis will do something." Eilidh whispered, still gazing at their joined hands. "And I don't want that. I don't want to see any of you getting hurt."

"No one's going to get hurt!" Susan immediately corrected her, as she also squeezed the girl's hands. "Caspian, Peter and Edmund are trying to figure out what to do. Lucy is trying to find a way to talk to Aslan. Please, Eilidh, don't give up! Not now."

"I don't want to give up." Eilidh informed her, bitterness clear in her voice, and when Susan gazed at her face, she saw the girl's eyes tearing. "But I'm just...so tired..."

"Eilidh—" Susan would have continued had someone not knocked at the door. Gazing at the entrance of the bedroom, Susan watched as Reepicheep marched inside. Apparently, Caspian was calling for her.

"I shall stay with Lady Eilidh while you're gone." Reepicheep announced when Susan glanced worriedly at the girl sitting on the bed. At that, Susan decided to stand up, but not before squeezing Eilidh's hands one last time.

"I'll be back as soon as possible." she reassured Eilidh, who simply looked back at her before nodding. Without wanting to waste any more minutes, Susan walked out of the room unaware of the tear that rolled down Eilidh's cheek as she closed the door behind her.

* * *

Professor Cornelius rushed through the hallways, not paying attention to anyone that appeared in front of him. Worry was running through his veins while various concerned thoughts constantly crossed his mind. For the past days he had been turning his library upside down in search of his box. He had looked for it back in his bedchambers as well, although he had known he would not find the box there.

He had always made sure the box was kept away, especially after Eilidh had found the crystal so easily. But back then he had not thought about the possibility of someone touching it. But now...oh, someone had found the box, and had taken it with them…

…Along with the crystal.

Not caring about his age, the Professor zoomed through the corridors, his pace fast. He needed to find the Kings and Queens of Old as quickly as possible.

"Queen Susan!" Professor Cornelius called out when he spotted the young woman at the end of the corridor. "Please, wait!"

"Professor Cornelius..." Susan greeted him as she turned around, "Is there something wrong?"

"My dear, it is of tremendous importance that I speak with you and your siblings." the Professor told her as he tried to catch his breath. "Also, I need to talk to King Caspian. Something has happened, and I am worried about the consequences."

"I was just about to meet with Caspian and the others." Susan informed him, "Please, come with me. What is that has happened?"

"My Queen, I apologize, but I rather only speak of this with everyone present." Professor Cornelius told her, and Susan nodded in understanding. In a matter of minutes, the two of them were walking inside the Throne's Room where Caspian and the Pevensie siblings were.

"Professor Cornelius..." Caspian greeted him, looking slightly surprised by the teacher's appearance. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm afraid there is." the Professor agreed, looking quite sombre, and everyone turned to him. "I am sorry for not saying anything sooner, but I was hoping I had just misplaced it. However, after searching for it for the past days, I was forced to realize that someone took it from my office."

"I'm sorry for asking, Professor, but what are you talking about?" Peter asked as he raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Cornelius glanced at each member of royalty before clasping his hands in front of his legs.

"I am talking about a box that I had in my office." he started, "A box I used to conceal something quite dangerous, related to the last time the Kings and Queens of Old were here, in Narnia."

"Something related to us?" Edmund repeated as he glanced at his siblings in puzzlement before he focused his attention on the Professor, who nodded.

"Yes, something I was planning on destroying soon." he added before he gazed at Caspian. "I am talking about the White Witch's crystal."

A deep and profound silence followed the professor's announcement. A silence during which everyone forgot to breathe as their minds went back in time, and felt all of their thoughts being swallowed by memories they preferred to forget.

Lucy was the first one to snap back from the past.

"You mean Jadis' crystal?" she asked, worry written all over her face, and the Professor nodded. "But...why did you hide such thing? I thought it had been destroyed."

"You may call it a moment of insanity, but after King Edmund destroyed the wall of ice, I could not help but want to study it." Cornelius explained, "And when I found the broken crystal, I was impelled by the inquisitive side of me to want to observe it. I did not plan to keep it for so long, but due to all the most recent events..."

"Do you have any idea of who may have taken it?" Caspian inquired, and Professor Cornelius parted his lips to reply only to fall silent again. "Please, if you know, you must tell us. Only heavens know what may happen if it falls into the wrong hands…"

"I believe it did not fell into the wrong hands." the Professor told him, and everyone blinked at that. "However, I fear that the hands that now held the crystal may soon be possessed by something dark."

"What do you mean?" Edmund asked, and the Professor gazed at each young face in front of him before his eyes found Caspian's.

A moment of silence, embroiled with suspense, followed Edmund's question, and Professor Cornelius took a deep breath. Before he could speak up, however, Reepicheep appeared from out of nowhere, screaming as he rushed towards Caspian.

"Help! Something's wrong with Lady Eilidh!"

"What do you mean?" Caspian asked, and the mouse stopped in front of the King.

"She has been possessed!"

As soon as those words echoed throughout the room, everyone looked from Reepicheep to Professor Cornelius, who nodded quite sadly.

"I am afraid my suspicions have just been proven to be correct." he said, "Lady Eilidh was the one who found the crystal once, and I'm afraid she was the one who took it from the library while I wasn't there."

That was all Caspian needed to rush out of the Throne Room only to be closely followed by the Kings and Queens of Old. Reepicheep had been just about to follow them when Professor Cornelius spoke again.

"Let them go alone." he said, and Reepicheep turned to him. "I'm afraid this is a battle we cannot join."

* * *

His heart was pounding against his ears as he rushed down the corridor as fast as possible. He could hear his friends calling out for him, but ignored their voices as his mind focused solely on the open door at the end of the hallway.

He had been feeling quite strange ever since he had requested for Reepicheep to go call Susan, but he had managed to ignore the sensation. However, now it was unbearable. It was almost as if a hand had clenched around his heart.

He could feel agony, and yet the anguish was not entirely his own.

"Caspian!" Susan's voice echoed from behind him, but he still ignored it. He needed to reach the bedchambers as quickly as possible.

"Eilidh!" Caspian practically screamed as he rushed inside the bedroom only to stop dead on his tracks when he did not find the girl lying on her bed. Hastily, he scanned the room, and felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Eilidh standing by the window, with her back turned to the door.

Everybody else stopped as they also stormed inside the room so that Caspian was the one at the front. Without bothering to look over his shoulder, the King of Narnia stepped inside the bedroom.

"Eilidh?" he called out in a gentle tone, but the girl did not move. "Reepicheep told us something happened. What's wrong?"

"One drop of Adam's blood..." Eilidh spoke without looking away from the window, and Caspian stopped a few feet away from her. "One drop of Eve's blood..."

"Eilidh!" Peter called out without moving from his spot, and Caspian finally looked behind him only to raise a hand. He wanted to do this alone. The torment that was running through his veins was beginning to accumulate around his heart, making it hard to breath.

"Eilidh, please, turn around." Caspian requested as he focused his attention on the said girl again. "Tell me what's wrong."

She looked over her shoulder in a calm, tranquil way. Her hair fell down from her shoulder, revealing the trail of tears that had once rolled down her cheeks. However, when Caspian gazed at her eyes, he felt his whole soul shake in worry.

Her eyes were blank...like the eyes of a broken doll...

"Eilidh..." Caspian called out as he reached out for her, but when he had been just about to touch her, a broken crystal appeared in front of his hand. And it would have injured him too had Caspian not moved away.

"Get away from me..." Eilidh requested, her blank orbs still locked with Caspian's. "Don't touch me..."

Glancing down at what the girl was holding, Caspian found himself staring at one familiar crystal. For a second, he wondered if he should take it from Eilidh's hands. He wondered if taking it away would fix everything, but before he could act, Eilidh pulled the crystal in her direction.

"One drop..." Eilidh whispered, and before anyone could react, she pointed the broken crystal in direction of Caspian's head. "All I need is one drop..."

"What's going on?" Lucy asked, without taking her eyes off Caspian and Eilidh's figures. "Why is she saying that?"

"I don't think it's Eilidh who's talking." Edmund corrected his youngest sister, "I think...I think it's Jadis."

"But how could Jadis be speaking through Eilidh?" Susan asked, "It's not logical!"

"Maybe the crystal was the trigger." Edmund tried to explain while Peter was too focused in what was happening in front of him to say anything.

"Eilidh, please, give me the crystal." Caspian started, rather cautiously, "We can fix this together. Please..."

"I can't..." a weaker voice answered the King, and for a moment Caspian could swear he had seen a flash of sadness cross Eilidh's eyes, "I can't give this to you."

"Of course you can." Caspian tried to say, but the girl shook her head.

"That's Eilidh talking..." Peter mumbled as he continued observing what was happening, and all of his siblings glanced his way. "What if she's fighting Jadis?"

"I'm sorry…" the girl apologized, "I tried…I really tried…but I can't…"

"Eilidh, please, tell me what's wrong." Caspian pleaded, and it was then that Susan rushed forward, without caring when Peter tried to reach out for her arm.

"Eilidh, remember our conversation!" Susan requested as she stopped next to Caspian, but before she could say something else, Eilidh pointed the crystal in her direction.

"This is all your fault!" Eilidh exclaimed, her eyes locked with Susan's. "Had you never appeared...have you never existed, I wouldn't have to go through all this!"

"What are you saying?" Caspian asked, but it was then that a pang forced him to rest a hand against his chest. As he winced, he stared at Eilidh again, and felt something inside of him break when he saw the tears that were rolling down her cheeks.

"She's in my head…" Eilidh's voice grew weaker again, "She keeps saying she wants your blood… She says…I need to hurt you…"

"You can win against her!" Susan told the girl, "You know you can win! Please Eilidh…"

"I can't…" Eilidh sobbed, the hand that was holding the crystal shaking slightly as she spoke. "I'm so tired…I don't want her to hurt you…"

"Oh no…" Peter whispered as he watched Eilidh lowering the crystal only to point it towards her chest. "Eilidh, stop!"

"What are you doing?" both Caspian and Susan asked while Lucy let out a small scream. Edmund, not knowing what to do, continued standing next to his youngest sister, mentally hoping someone would be able to put an end to all that.

"I'm so sorry…" Eilidh almost begged between tears, "But she's in my head…she wants your blood…I can't…I can't let her hurt you…"

"Eilidh put that down." Caspian tried to say in a more serious tone, in spite of the pain that was surrounding his heart. "We can try to find a way to help you, but, please, put the crystal away."

Almost as if she had not heard his command, Eilidh looked away from the King, and gazed at Susan. Shaking as she stared at the other girl, Eilidh tried to make her lips twitch into a smile.

"Please…" she started, "Take care of them…"

And before someone could move, the girl thrust the crystal in direction of her heart.

**To Be Continued…**


	14. The Unwritten Fairytale

**Disclaimer:** _C.S. Lewis_ is the creator of **Chronicles of Narnia**. Maresia Eterna owns the Original Characters and the plot.

* * *

**Authoress Note:** Hello everyone! I am here to proudly announce the _**last **_chapter of The Unwritten Fairytale. No, you are not reading it wrong. This will be my last update on this story. And what a journey it was. To think I started this back in 2008!

Also, I am truly thankful to all those who followed this story to the end. I want to thank those who read Dream of a Dream, and then accepted to read its sequel. Thank you so much everyone. I do hope you all enjoy this last chapter. I had lots of fun writing it. As a matter of fact, ever since I started this story, all I could think about was the ending. I have always been eager to write it down.

So, once again, allow me to thank you all for never giving up on me. It was a pleasure to write this story, and it was truly gratifying to receive all of your constant support.

Thank you everyone!

Now, here it is; the last chapter of The Unwritten Fairytale.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

_The Unwritten Fairytale_

It was the faint growl that awakened her senses. Warmth was spreading through her whole limbs, making her feel too sluggish to leave the numb state she was in. However, as her brain gradually processed the fact that she was lying down, Susan opened her orbs.

It took her a few seconds to realize that she was lying down on a bed. And it took her even more time to finally process the fact that she was not in Eilidh's bedchambers. It was true that she was in a bedroom, but it was _her_ bedroom...from England.

Immediately, Susan pulled the covers off of her, her eyes widened in both horror and surprise. How could she be back? That made no sense! Not when she had been ready to accept her life in Narnia, and perhaps even start a life with—

"Susan..."

When her own name reached her ears, the girl looked away from the walls that belonged to her bedroom, and looked in direction of the end of the bed. There, standing in all his glory and power, was the Great Lion himself.

"Aslan..." Susan breathed out before she jumped out of her bed, and gestured to her surroundings. "What...? Are we back?"

"Indeed." answered the lion as he nodded, and Susan felt a pang against her chest. They were back... And she had not even been able to say goodbye.

"What about Eilidh?" Susan suddenly asked, as she recalled what had happened before she woke up in her old bedroom. "Did she...? What did you...?"

"She has made her choice." Aslan informed Susan, as he shifted closer to her. "And with that your time in Narnia came to an end."

"Did she...?" Susan paused as she recalled what she had seen before waking up, and a shiver ran up her spine. "Is she alive?"

"I am sorry, dear one, but I cannot answer you." Aslan said in response, and Susan felt her heart squeeze at those words. "All you need to know is that all of your questions have been answered."

"Why do you say that?" Susan asked, feeling slightly aggravated, "I am far more confused now than when I was in Narnia. Why did you bring us back now, Aslan? Caspian and Eilidh needed us now more than ever, and we just abandoned them!"

"Susan, the reason why you all returned to Narnia was due to one simple request." Aslan explained, and Susan swallowed dry. "You had no need to go back, for you have already learnt what you needed to learn. Nevertheless, because one person requested for my help, I decided to bring you back."

"Who was that person?" Susan inquired, "Was it Caspian?"

"I'm afraid not, dear one."

As soon as Aslan's answer reached her brain, Susan immediately started thinking about who could have had possibly asked for help. There were not many people she could think of. At least, none of those choices were logical until...

"Eilidh..." Susan murmured as she widened her eyes in realization, and she turned to Aslan. "It was Eilidh, wasn't she? You even said she made her choice. She was the one who asked for your help!"

"Susan, what matters now is that you must understand there is no way back." Aslan told the girl, gently avoiding her observation. "You have grown, perhaps more than you are aware of. And that is why you must now learn more in your world."

"Why...?" Susan started to ask, and she closed her hands into fists. "You didn't even let me say goodbye to him. Why?"

"There are journeys that begin with farewells." Aslan informed her, and Susan had to bit her lower lip to stop herself from crying out. "Worry not, dear one, for not all is lost."

"Is that another of your riddles?" Susan asked rather bitterly, her eyes tearing as she spoke, "Because if it is, I don't want to hear it."

"Susan, all I want is for you to have hope." Aslan told her in his tranquil voice, and the girl almost snorted at that.

"You took me back to Narnia, and then you tore me away from it," she declared, anger bubbling inside of her soul. "You allowed me to be with him again only to take me away before I even had the chance to talk to him one last time. How am I supposed to have hope after that? You keep taking all of my dreams away from me!"

"Susan..."

"No! I won't listen!" Susan practically shouted as she covered her ears, and closed her eyes. "It was painful enough the first time. Now it feels like torture! Why do you keep doing this to me?"

"Because you are one of my dearest ones."

When those words reached her, Susan's eyes snapped open. Confusedly, the girl realized that she was once again lying in her bed. Quickly, she sat up, and looked around only to feel exhaustion and pain fall upon her shoulders when she realized she was back to her bedroom, in England.

Tears started prickling the sides of her eyes, but before Susan could start grieving, the door of her bedroom swung open. As he called out for his sister's name, Peter rushed to the bed, and before Susan could react, she was pulled into a tight embrace.

"Did you see him?"

Susan barely managed to hear her brother's question as he continued holding her tightly against his torso. However, that simple question was enough to make Susan let out a loud sob, and tears started to roll down her cheeks as she cried out in despair against Peter's chest.

She did not care about who could hear her. She did not care if both Edmund and Lucy appeared in her bedroom, and caught her weeping. All she wanted was to cry. All she wanted was to forget about everything that had happened.

All she wanted was to make the pain in her chest disappear.

Gently, Peter started running his hand through his sister's hair. There was nothing he could say. As a matter of fact, he did not want to say anything. Truth to be told, he would rather be doing the same thing as Susan, but he knew he could not do it. He was not allowed to cry. He could not show that, just like Susan, he was depressed and hurt about being tore away from Narnia so unexpectedly.

Instead, Peter simply allowed for Susan to cry against his chest. And he only spoke up when he felt his sister finally calming down until her sobs faded away into weak whimpers.

"I saw him." Peter said as he continued pressing Susan's head against his shoulder. "I think it was in a dream, because when he disappeared, I woke up, and realized we were back."

"I don't want to talk about him." Susan mumbled as she shifted backwards, and Peter finally released her from his embrace. Her eyes were red, trails of forgotten tears running down her pale cheeks, and Peter tenderly run his fingers through her face. "I don't want to think about him again."

"Do you really think that's possible?" Peter asked as he lowered his hand, and Susan looked away. "I mean, regardless of how we feel, everything did happen. You cannot pretend that we didn't go back to—"

"No!" Susan shouted in a rather hoarse voice as she covered her ears, and shut her eyes close. "I don't want to hear it! I don't want to think about it! I don't want to believe in that sort of thing anymore!"

"Susan—"

"Please! That's enough!" Susan continued, still pressing the palms of her hands against her ears, and Peter took a deep breath. Even though her eyes were closed, he could see fresh tears beginning to build up underneath her eyelids. "I don't…I can't do it!"

"Susan, I understand your feelings!" Peter finally exclaimed, his voice rising above his sister's, and the girl finally opened her eyes. When she saw the look on Peter's face, she slowly dropped her hands as well. "You are not the only one who left something behind! You aren't the only one who didn't manage to say goodbye!"

There was something in his eyes, Susan noticed, that showed he was not referring to one simple farewell. It looked as if he was talking about another kind of goodbye…the same kind of goodbye she had been craving for…

…But why?

"You are not the only one," Peter began, now in a more soft tone, and Susan felt her heartbeat increase as she waited for her brother to finish talking, "who left a loved one behind."

That was when it hit her.

Widening her eyes in shock, Susan straightened her back, but never looked away from Peter's orbs. It all made sense now. Albeit she had always made sure to spend most of her time with Caspian, she had grown aware of all of her siblings' actions. Lucy and Edmund had spent time with their Narnian friends and Peter…

…Peter had spent most of his time with Eilidh.

"You…" Susan began, in a voice that came out above a whisper, "You never said anything."

"Why would I? It wasn't anything serious." Peter informed her, and Susan reached out for one of his hands. "Besides, I knew we'd return sooner or later, and then there was the fact that…"

When Peter looked away, Susan felt her heart drop. There was no way they could deny it. While Susan loved Caspian, and knew he loved her back, Eilidh had always had a strong bond with the King of Narnia.

A bond that went beyond anything they could understand.

"Peter…"

"That's why I don't want to see you giving up!" Peter told Susan as he let go off her hand, and stood up from the bed. Susan simply followed his movements in silence. "I know it hurts! I know that right now all you want is to forget about Narnia, Aslan and Caspian, but you can't do that Su! If you forget about everything, then you'll be letting a part of yourself go!"

"Peter, I…" Susan trailed off, and looked down at her hands for a moment. It really hurt. It hurt to think about Narnia. It hurt to think about Aslan…

It felt like a hole had been made inside of her soul every time she thought of Caspian.

She was never going to touch him again. She was never going to hear his laugh and his deep voice. She was never going to smell his unique fragrance…

…She was never going to tell him how much she loved him.

"It just hurts so much…" Susan finally confessed, and her vision blurred when she raised her head in order to stare at her brother again. "It hurts so much all I want is to forget, because if I don't forget, the pain will never disappear."

"You know, I feel the exact same way." Peter told her, and Susan had to bit her lower lip in order to restrain herself from crying again. After all, it was not fair that Peter was the only one not allowed to show any sort of resentment. "But then I remember something Aslan told me before I woke up."

There was a moment of pause, but Susan never looked away from Peter. Not even when he broke the eye-contact in order to gaze outside, through her window.

"He said 'worry not, for not all is lost', and I don't know why, but every time I think about those words, I have the feeling things haven't truly ended." Peter observed, still staring at the sky, and Susan felt her heart skip a beat. "It's almost as if Aslan was telling me not to give up."

_There are journeys that begin with farewells__. Worry not, dear one, for not all is lost._

"He told me the same thing…" Susan finally said as she looked down, her thoughts running at full speed, and Peter turned to her. "He told me that there are journeys that begin with farewells. I don't really understand what he meant, but after you told me that, I…"

Slowly, Susan raised her head, and her eyes quickly found Peter's. Then, a small smile graced her features, and she nodded.

"I think I will try to believe one last time."

* * *

Seven months had passed ever since the Pevensie siblings had returned to Narnia, and many decisions had been made since then. One of the decisions was related to both Peter and Susan. Despite of Edmund and Lucy's efforts to make them change their minds, the oldest Pevensie were determined to start anew.

Although they would still frequently talk about Narnia with their youngest siblings, the truth was that both Peter and Susan knew that they could not stay chained to the past forever. And that had been why they had both decided to leave the United Kingdom.

It had not been easy. Edmund had tried to pretend he did not care less about his siblings' decision, but he had begun spending more time with Peter. Lucy, on the other hand, only left Susan's side whenever she needed to go to school.

And perhaps that had been why it had been so hard to say goodbye when time to go to the United States of America arrived.

Thankfully, ever since they had arrived in America, Lucy had constantly flooded them with letters. She would always tell Peter and Susan about what she had done during the past days. She would inclusively add information about Edmund, without thinking about the fact that there would be a few things Edmund would not want to tell anyone.

Like the fact that he was fancying a girl named Faith Lewis.

"Peter! C'mon! We're going to be late!" Susan exclaimed as she ran through her bedroom, picking her books and bag from her bed. "If you're not at the door in five minutes I'll leave without you!"

_"Alright! Alright! Calm down already!"_ Peter shouted back from his bedroom, and Susan rolled her eyes as she stormed out of door. She almost ran into Peter as she pressed the books against her chest.

"It's about time! We're already late!" Susan informed him, but Peter decided to ignore that. Besides, it was not as if he did not know it already.

Yelling out their goodbyes, the two Pevensie siblings rushed out of the house, and made their way towards the crowded street. They still needed to catch a bus, which would take them directly to school. The problem was that, in order to reach the bus-stop, they had to run through a rather problematic road.

Cars zoomed past them, going right or left. Other people had already gathered around Peter and Susan, all of them waiting for the signal to change. The problem was that the signal took a lot of time, and they only had a few more minutes until their bus got there.

As she patted her foot against the ground in impatience, Susan started glancing around, observing the faces of those around her. Most people were as impatient as she was, but others did not seem that annoyed.

Susan had been just about to gaze at the signal again, when her eyes spotted a girl with long and curly hair. For a moment, she simply continued to observe the girl, her mind telling her that she looked somewhat familiar.

"Susan, what are you doing?" Peter asked as he reached out for his sister's arm, and Susan looked away from the girl in order to look at him. "The signal just changed. We need to hurry up!"

Susan had been just about to nod when the sound of a car hitting full break echoed around them. A honk roared from the middle of the road, quickly followed by various screams. Both Peter and Susan looked ahead in time to see a car that had tried to escape the red signal stopping right in front of a girl, standing in the zebra crossing.

Everybody around the girl and the car had stopped moving, almost as if they had all been expecting for the worse to occur. Now, nothing appeared to be capable of breaking the silence. All cars had stopped, people appeared to be frozen. Even the wind was no longer blowing.

"What the…?" Peter appeared to be the first one to snap back from the daze, and he let go off Susan in order to approach the petrified girl. It appeared to be a miracle, but the car had managed to stop inches away from the girl's figure. Books were lying all over the ground. Peter guessed the girl had probably dropped them when she realized she was about to be run over.

"Hey, are you alright?" Peter asked as he shifted closer to the girl, and it was then that everything appeared to come back to life. Some people started screaming at the driver, while others quickly resumed to their chores.

"Peter!" Susan called out as she reached her brother's side as Peter started to lead the girl to the other side of the road. Hastily, Susan picked the forgotten books from the ground, and rushed after Peter.

"Are you alright?" Peter asked when they reached the sidewalk, and the girl nodded. Long, curly brown locks were hiding her face, but both Peter and Susan were positive she was as white as a ghost. "Do you need medical attention?"

The girl shook her head again, and Peter felt her trembling when he rested a hand on her upper-arm. He had been just about to push her hair away, to see if she was indeed okay, when a male voice echoed from behind them.

"Eilidh!"

Both Peter and Susan widened their eyes when the girl suddenly looked over her shoulder when the name floated around them. They knew there was someone amidst the crowd that was trying to reach out for them, but before Peter or Susan could see who it was, the girl's voice was heard.

"Caspian!"

Susan felt her insides twist and turn at that name, and she knew Peter was going through the same process. Glancing sideways at her brother, Susan noticed that Peter was staring at the back of the girl's head.

For a moment she wondered if his heart was beating as loudly as hers was.

Turning to the girl again, Susan felt her breath get stuck on her throat when she saw a young man appeared in the middle of the crowd. He immediately pulled the girl into a tight embrace, his own black hair almost reaching his shoulders.

Everything disappeared around Susan.

Everything faded away for Peter.

All that mattered was the couple in front of them, hugging. In the back of their minds, both Peter and Susan could swear they heard a soft roar echo from their memories.

_All I want is for you to have hope__._

_Because __you are one of my dearest ones._

"Aslan…" Susan breathed out, and she could swear she heard Peter whisper the same thing. It was also then that the couple in front of her finally broke the embrace, and turned to them.

For a moment, both Peter and Susan felt like they were no longer in America. Instead, they were back in Narnia, surrounded by the exquisiteness of the country, standing in front of King Caspian, the Tenth, and Lady Eilidh.

"Thank you so much for helping Eilidh." the young man thanked, and Susan felt a shiver run up her spine at his accent. It was the same as before. He was the same as before. "I'd never be able to repay you."

Peter did not say anything, and neither did Susan. How could they? They were standing exactly in front of the ones they had always hoped to see one day, even though it had never seemed possible.

_See? Aslan knows what's he's doing. _Lucy's voice echoed through Susan's mind, and for a split of a second, she wondered if Peter had thought the same.

"That's alright." Peter finally said, and Susan snapped back from her thoughts. "I'm just happy to know she's okay."

"Well, thank you for helping her." the young man said before he extended a hand. "My name's Caspian."

Glancing sideways at Susan, Peter allowed for the corner of his lips to curl upwards before he reached out for the other man's hand. Then, he shook it.

"I'm Peter."

"Thank you for helping me," the girl finally spoke up as she bowed in appreciation, and this time it was Susan's turn to smile. "My name is Eilidh."

"Well, hello. I'm Susan." Susan decided to speak up before she shifted closer to the other girl, "Here. I picked your books up for you."

"Thank you." Eilidh thanked once again as she reached out for her books, and it was then that Susan noticed that amongst all the books, there was one in particular that caught her attention. It was a Bible.

Smiling, Susan turned to Peter, who met her gaze. Both were thinking the exact same thing.

Aslan was correct. They may have not been allowed to spend the rest of their lives in Narnia, but they would certainly have all freedom to write their unwritten fairytale from that moment on.

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**The End**

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And that was it everyone. With this chapter I put to a story that took me two years to complete! I do hope it was worth waiting for!

Thank you for all of your support!

Muito Obrigada!

_Maresia Eterna_

**31/12/10**


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